A Cloud for Konoha
by antilogicgirl
Summary: Amaya is a former jounin from the Hidden Village of Cloud. Now living as a student in the Earth Country, she has the misfortune to meet Orochimaru, who has very speicific plans for her, none of which will be to her liking.
1. Snake Sannin

Please Review. This is my first ever fanfiction. Feedback is a wonderful thing, and I'll love you forever

Standard disclaimers apply.

One: Snake Sannin

Amaya sat at the bar in the Red Lotus, a dance club. There was a costume party that night, and she had dressed as a geisha. The costume kimono she wore was short, well above her knees. She wore her long black hair in an intricate style, held in place by ornamented chopsticks. For a moment, she looked into the mirror behind the bar. Her black eyes looked lonely to her in her pale face.

As she watched the bar tender work, she stirred her drink with a finger. Amaya knew this man very well. Since she had come to live in the Country of Earth, she had known him. How long had it been? It must have been six years now.

Kaito plunked down another drink in front of her. It looked like blood. "What the hell is that, a bloody-Mary?" Kaito shook his head. He pointed down the bar at a man with long black hair. He was not much taller than Amaya was, but there was a presence he had that seemed to spread out from him. "From him, huh?" She picked up the glass. Sniffing it, it smelled like flowers. More specifically, it smelled like roses. When she tasted it, it didn't seem to have any alcohol in it at all.

Kaito cocked his head slightly to the left. "What does it taste like?"

"What do you mean? Didn't you make it?" She asked, alarmed. He shook his head. Suddenly, she reached across the bar and grabbed a handful of his shirt. Yanking him forward, the young woman nearly growled at him. "You telling me you let me drink something that you don't know what the hell it is?" Kaito's eyes left hers for a moment, looking over her left shoulder. Feeling a very warm hand on hers, Amaya turned to see whose it was.

Under the gentle pressure of this hand, she released Kaito, and he fell back against the bottles behind him. The man with the long black hair stood less than a foot away, his face close to hers. The hair that fell in sheets to this strange man's waist also covered half of his face. His face was pale, with light-colored eyes that seemed to glow slightly. There was an oddly feminine look about him, which was accentuated by the drape of his kimono around his shoulders. It was a beautiful dark gold silk, but he wore a black shirt beneath it. The effect was not unpleasing. Amaya was completely unable to look away from him. He picked up the drink on the bar, and handed it to her.

"Shall we go somewhere more quiet?" His voice was deep, and calm, and mesmerizing. She followed him across the dance floor, and to the stairwell. Upstairs, there were four rooms, each with a different theme. One was painted green, and had billiard tables. They passed this room, and another that was red and had an arcade inside. The second door from last, there was a room that was painted a dark blue, was dimly lit, and had couches and tables. He opened the door, and gestured for her to enter.

He followed her in, and she thought that she heard the door lock behind him. _Funny,_ Amaya thought, _that door doesn't have a lock, does it?_ They sat in the back corner of the room, at a table with a small lamp on it. She stared at him. She didn't understand what was going on. Sure, he was really good-looking, but she was sure that it wasn't that. She absentmindedly sipped her drink, the taste of rose petals filling her mouth.

"I like your costume," he said, leaning across the table. "Did you make it yourself?" He didn't seem interested in her costume. His eyes just stayed locked on her face. She couldn't answer. Her voice seemed to be broken. Amaya took another sip of the rose-flavored drink. The feeling she had when he looked at her was like nothing she had ever experienced. She did not know why it was impossible for her to look away. After another sip, she was able to speak.

"What do you want?" A bad feeling began to arise within her when she looked on this person. Her instincts were usually pretty accurate, so she decided that she had to be very careful with him.

He raised an eyebrow. "To the point, aren't we?" She nodded. He shrugged. "I want you to come with me. You will, won't you?" She was completely confused. He had not even given her his name. Amaya shook her head. "You _will_ come with me, Amaya-san." she started. _How does he know my name? Who is he?_ "Don't be so surprised. I know a lot about you, not just your name. I know why you're here, instead of the Hidden Village of Clouds, where you're supposed to be. When was the last time you went to their graves, Amaya-san?" His smile was chilling.

"Who are you?" She was having trouble breathing at that point. "How do you know these things? No one here knows who I am, not even my friends." He seemed quite amused.

"How can you have friends? After you abandoned your family, do you really deserve to?" She shivered as he spoke.

"I didn't abandon them! I left to go to school, and my parents were happy for me." Her voice was weak. She watched as he leaned further across the table. His eyes grew large in her vision, and she was frightened. His hand appeared before her eyes, glowing. It covered most of her face, and everything went black.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o-o-o---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next thing she remembered, she was in her own bed. When Amaya opened her eyes, she groaned. Her head was about to split open, she was quite sure. _What did I drink?_ The ceiling was just as white as it had been the day before, and she was convinced that the entire situation had been a dream. She heard a knock at the door of her apartment. Though she tried to get up, her entire body hurt. "I'll get it," a voice next to her said. It was the same deeply hypnotic voice from the night before.

Again, she groaned. She saw him get up from the bed. He left the room and went down the hall to the door. The door opened, and she heard two sets of footsteps coming back from the door into the bedroom. The man came in, followed by a younger man with oddly silvery hair and glasses. The young man said, "You have confirmed that this is her?"

For the few moments that he was gone, she thought that maybe it had been a drunken one-night-stand, but now that this young man was standing in her bedroom, it didn't really look like it. Leaning on the chest of drawers, the man with the long black hair scratched his chin. "If you're unsure about her, why don't you test her abilities, Kabuto?" _Kabuto? Yakushi Kabuto? Oh, I have _got_ to be dreaming._ For a long moment, the young man looked at her, his eyes narrowing.

Kabuto shrugged. "No, I'm sure you're right, Orochimaru-sama. Of course, she may not want to come with us. But it won't do us any good if she doesn't _want_ to come, does it?" _That's the last straw! _Orochimaru _is standing in my bedroom, with his little henchman, and they're discussing if I'll go with them? I have had just about enough of this._

"Oi!" She sat up in spite of the aching in her head. Black hair fell in long waves over her face, and she pushed it out of the way. It was then that she noticed she wasn't wearing any clothes. Hurriedly, Amaya pulled the sheet up over herself, coloring slightly. Her black eyes flashed in anger. "First of all, Orochimaru, who the hell gave you permission to take off my clothes? Secondly, why should I go with you? Third, while you're thinking about how to answer those, tell Kabuto to stop leering." The young man had a disgusting look on his face, and it made her stomach want to empty itself. She stood, pulling the sheet from the bed and wrapping it around herself. She sighed. _What the hell does that bastard Orochimaru want me for?_ It had been a very long time since she'd even heard that name.

Around six years earlier, she left her place of birth, the Hidden Village of Cloud. She was supposed to be going to school. Amaya did go to school, and she did well. Much to her mother's dismay, she rarely visited while she was at school. Then, a year before this unfortunate meeting, she had received word that her mother and father had been killed. All three of her sisters were away at the time, and had since settled in other areas. It had been long since there had been a reason to return home. There were vague rumors that it had been one of Orochimaru's henchmen that had killed her parents.

Walking over to Kabuto, she stopped just in front of him, and said, "Was it you?" He only looked at her blankly. "Hmm. I didn't expect you to answer me. Now, if you don't mind, I need to get dressed." When she tried to walk into her closet, Kabuto blocked her path. Again, she sighed. "Orochimaru, is there any way that I could escape through my closet? Tell your pet dog to back the fuck off. I don't feel like bashing his head in while I haven't got any clothes on." Looking Kabuto in the eye, Amaya continued, "But if you want to wait a couple of minutes, I'd be happy to oblige you." He flinched, and she smiled.

"Kabuto," Orochimaru began, "you can rest assured, there are no secret passages in the closet. I made sure of that while she was asleep. Besides, you'll be a lot less distracted once she's dressed." The younger man shot Orochimaru a poisonous look.

"She's nothing special." Kabuto moved away from the door of the closet, and sat on the edge of the bed. Though he said that, she noticed that he had positioned himself in such a way that it would be easy to see her. _Lechery is a weakness, boy. You should know that. But if you're going to let it show so much, I'll take full advantage._ Holding back a smile, Amaya let the sheet fall.

Looking around, she found that most of her clothes were in the hamper. The only clothes she had to wear were things she had not worn in years. _I suppose it can't be helped_. She pulled on a faded long-sleeved black t-shirt and a longish pair of green shorts and her old shinobi sandals. After pulling back her hair, she stepped out of the closet. It felt odd to wear these things. She really had not worn them since she'd left home. Kabuto's face was now inscrutable. _Do I look the part, now?_

Orochimaru plopped into a chair, and said, "Now, are you going to come with us?"

Amaya rolled her eyes. "Are you going to tell me why?"

"You know who I am?" He asked. She nodded. "Then you must know that I need capable people."

"The bullshit is getting pretty thick, snake-man." She was really getting fed up at this point. He may be a legendary figure, but she was not about to put up with his mockery.

"Well, Kabuto, will you tell her? Frankly, she's getting rather annoying."

"Hori Amaya, a member of the Hori clan. Twenty-five years old, former jounin from the Lightening Country, Hidden Village of Clouds." Kabuto read from a small red card. "After attaining the rank of jounin at the age of fifteen, you completed thirty missions of varying levels. You resigned your post for reasons unspecified, and left home to study. Your abilities include not only highly developed taijutsu and superior ninjutsu, but you have some knowledge of medical jutsu, and you also are a master of psychological torture through the use of genjutsu. In power, you are near to the Legendary Sannin, but not quite there." Her eyes burned into him, anger rising. He was not finished. "Orochimaru-sama needs your abilities. He also admires you greatly."

_Admires me? What the hell?_ She looked icily over at the man himself. He lounged in her chair, as at ease as if he were in his own house. "And I care because…?" Her sarcasm showed beautifully, but didn't make a dent in his composure. "I am not going with you. So you guys can just leave."

Orochimaru stood, and walked to where Amaya was standing, at the foot of the bed. "I will be back, Amaya-san." He reached over and touched her cheek. His hand was still as warm as it had been. In spite of its warmth, she shivered. The two of them withdrew, and left by way of the front door. The former kunoichi collapsed on the bed.

"This is bad. There is no way that I can deal with both of them. But they didn't seem like they were going to hurt me…" she was talking to herself. This was a bad sign. "So now I need to know what's going on."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o-o-o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About two weeks later, Amaya walked into her apartment to find a strange young man of about fifteen sitting on her couch. "This is a very hard couch," he said by way of a greeting. He wore a dark purplish blue kimono, and had shoulder-length black hair. His face seemed tense. "I have been sent to bring you to—"

"Oh, go away, little boy."

"Amaya-sama, I am supposed to bring you, and I'm not supposed to use force unless I have to, but…"

"What is your name?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Well, Sasuke-_chan_, why don't you run along to Orochimaru and tell him to leave me be? I'm not a shinobi anymore." The boy's face became a thunderhead. She had found a bit of a weakness, it seemed. "Ah, Uchiha, is it? So, you're the little bastard who abandoned your village to chase after revenge? How is the revenge business? More importantly, how are the peparations for the transfer going?"

Gritting his teeth, he said, "Amaya-sama knows more than I thought."

Her lips curled in a smile. Putting her bag down, she seated herself on the floor, opposite Sasuke. "Kabuto is not the only one who can do research, Sasuke-chan. I know a few things about you that you may not even know." His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I know, because I spoke to some of your friends."

His eyes grew wide, then narrowed again. "Are you lying to me, Amaya-sama?"

"Why would I lie? It is true I want you out of my home, but I would prefer to beat you to a pulp rather than lie to you."

"Who did you talk to?" His voice was barely a whisper.

"A young lady who misses you very much. She's very beautiful, isn't she, Sasuke?" Now, with that, his eyes turned the characteristic red of his family's most identifiable trait, the Sharingan. _Just a little more. You can push him just a bit more…_

"Leave Sakura-san out of this."

"I'm surprised that you even remember her, since you left her. You _abandoned_ her. It didn't take any more than you leaving to completely devastate her, you know. She told me everything." Sakura had told her everything, right up to the end. She told her about his abilities, his prejudices, and even the last words he said to her before he knocked her senseless. "There's one thing I'm curious about, Sasuke. What did you mean when you told her 'Thank you?'"

He had been shaking slightly through this short speech, and now, he launched himself at her, the room filling with the sounds of birds chirping. _Chidori!_ She raised an eyebrow. Moving slightly to the left, she caught the arm he was using for chidori, and bent it back up toward his face. The small lightening-like bits of chakra forking off of the ball of light in his hand were nearing his eyes when he released the jutsu. "Now," she said, "please be a good boy and sit down. I am not in the mood to play games with you."

Sasuke sat back down. His kimono's sleeve was steaming. She decided that further provocation would not lead to another outburst, so she pressed him again. "That young man Naruto, he was a little harder to track down." smiling, she remembered. "He was with a very nice man, I think you know Jiraya-sama?" Sasuke's eyes became clouded. "It took me forever, it seemed, but I finally located them, and I had a nice long talk with both of them. Jiraya doesn't think too highly of you, but your friend still thinks he can get through to you."

"He always was thick-skulled." Sasuke's face had softened, and there was a very boyish quality to it. This was the face of the boy that was Naruto's friend. _Is it too late for him? Has there been irreversible damage done?_

"Well," she stood, and opened the door for him. "Here lies your way, sir."

Sasuke stood, and shook his head. In a tone that indicated challenge, he said, "Outside, Amaya-sama." Exasperated, she followed.

Behind the building she lived in, there was a vacant lot, which used to be a playground for children, that had become only a patch of dirt and weeds. Sasuke positioned himself at the middle of the lot. Amaya sighed. Planting her hands on her hips, she asked, "Is this really necessary? It's very bothersome."

"You sound like Shikamaru-kun." Sasuke's face darkened. She had talked to this Shikamaru, as well. That trip she had taken to Konoha had been very useful. She supposed that it was good that she sounded like him, but there was still more than eighty points of IQ between the two of them, with Shikamaru having the upper hand.

"No, I sound like me. I'm only saying you're bothersome because I already told your boss that I'm not going to go to him." Shrugging, she asked, "Are you coming, or do you want me to go?"

Sasuke smiled. That smile was far too much like Orochimaru's. The first thing that he did was to use his fireball technique, _Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu_. Shaking her head, she concentrated a large amount of chakra into her hands and hit the ground. Large mounds of earth formed between Amaya and Sasuke, and the fire was rendered useless. Still, his Katon was very powerful. According to Sakura, and Naruto, it would get very dangerous if he were to release his cursed seal, and she really did not want to have to deal with that.

So, as she employed a nice genjutsu, she jumped over the dirt hills. Sasuke stood there, mesmerized. He was seeing the transfer justsu that Orochimaru would use to enter his body, or at least what she thought it might look like. "Oh, you know that there won't be much of _you_ left after he's done. In that case, who will kill Itachi-kun?"

Sasuke fell to his knees. _Had he seriously thought that Orochimaru would let him live?_ She released the jutsu, and stood over him. "Are you alright, Sasuke-chan?" He looked up at her. There was a burning anger in his eyes. "Are you angry, Sasuke? Then if you're angry, put that anger into remaining alive and staying you. Do you understand that if you become one with him, Orochimaru will be all that there is left? I know your reasons, but did you really think them through? Even Naruto, who told me himself that he's an idiot, knows that Orochimaru's transfer jutsu leaves only the slightest traces of the host body's former occupant behind."

"Obviously, you had not thought of that. I apologize for causing you pain. Please, go back to Orochimaru. Tell him that I am not his to command." Sasuke remained on the ground, and Amaya walked away.


	2. Kunoichi Seduction Arts

Chapter 2: Kunoichi Seduction Arts.

Standard Disclaimers apply

Please review. I don't care if you flame me, really. However, please note that all flamage will be duly noted and then given to Naruto as a snack. That is all. Enjoy!

A month later, it was a rainy late-December afternoon. As she returned home, Amaya was soaked. When she had finished yanking off her sodden clothes, having decided to have a nice long soak in the tub, she noticed Kabuto sitting on the bed. In her head, she groaned. Why did he have to be there? "Aren't there any _other_ henchmen available? Isn't it Sasuke-chan's turn? I still have bruises from the last time you were here, Kabuto." Kabuto smiled slightly, seeing the now fading greenish patches on her arms and stomach.

It had been two weeks since Kabuto's last 'visit,' and she still had trouble falling asleep because of it. His medical jutsu was terrifying. In spite of all of her prowess in taijutsu, she had been unable to best him, simply because his medical jutsu surpassed hers by such a huge margin. Now, he was back again. She wasn't sure if she could take that kind of pain just now…

Rising from the bed, he walked to where she stood, in the door of the bath. "I'm here on my own behalf." It took everything she had not to have her jaw drop to the floor.

"What do you mean, Kabuto?"

He looked down at her, a strange light in his eyes. "I always want the things I can't have…" He started leaning toward her. _Ah, this is a little too much. _

"What are you doing?" In her panic, Amaya couldn't think of a single move she could use, under the circumstances. The apartment was rather small, so most of her taijutsu was out of the question. He also had his medical jutsus that he could use, and all of them were better than the ones she knew. He did not answer. He just kept getting closer, and his hands were reaching for her…

Unable to think, she did the only thing she could do. Sidestepping him, she backed into the bathroom. He followed, and Amaya held a hand up in protest. He kept coming toward her. It had been panic that drove her into that small space, and she knew that none of her techniques would work in there. His hands were cold. They moved over her back, and pulled her to him. Blinking as his lips met hers, she wondered why it was that she could not move.

Finally, she pushed him away. "That's enough of that." He was startled. She did not want to provoke him, so she quickly added, "I'm still cold from being in the rain. Let me soak in the tub for a while." His face returned to its normal inscrutable expression. Instead of leaving the room, he settled himself onto the small bench next to the tub. She slipped into a bathrobe. It was at least warmer, and better than having Kabuto leer at her. The water turned on, she put some medicinal salts into the bath, and sat on the edge of the tub.

Kabuto sat with his eyes closed. He was an odd one. Naruto had explained about him, but there was a lot that not even he knew, and Kabuto had apparently trusted him to some degree. There was no way that she was going to antagonize him. Orochimaru was cold and calculating, but there were times when Kabuto could just explode, and that could be rather messy. The bruises she had were proof of that, and that had been when he was working in an official capacity.

She turned the water off, and took off the robe. After tossing it onto Kabuto, she stepped into the tub. The water truly felt wonderful. Kabuto pulled the robe off of his head where it had landed. "Won't Orochimaru be angry with you for coming here like this?" Amaya asked, settling into the water.

"Probably. But…"

"I thought I wasn't anything special?"

"Orochimaru was teasing me. I thought it best to cut it out. Actually, I find you almost unbearably attractive." _Blatant honesty. Not what I expected out of you, Kabuto._ Was he being totally honest? It didn't matter. He was breaking his privilege as Orochimaru's right hand man, and he would pay for it later.

"Do you not care if he punishes you?"

"Not at the moment."

"Those are dangerous words." She was just trying not to be aggressive, but it seemed only to be egging him on.

"How is it dangerous?"

_Well,_ she thought, _if it looks like I'm playing up to him, I guess I'll just have to play up to him._ "Because," She said while leaning out of the tub toward him, "I would break you in half, little man." Amaya's tone was more than a little suggestive. His eyebrows shot up, and he blushed. When she smiled, it was genuine. Of all the talents a female shinobi had, this was one of the most important. It was also one of the things she had enjoyed most about being a shinobi. The intelligence gathering missions usually involved some kind of disguise work, deception, and often seduction. When it came to seduction arts, Hori Amaya was considered one of the best. Laughing inwardly, she wondered briefly if Kabuto had that on his little card.

"Would you really?" His tone was sarcastic. His buttons were being pushed quite nicely. _Just a little more…_

"Yes, really." She could see that his breathing had quickened, and her smile widened.

He slid off of the bench and knelt at the side of the tub. Amaya reached up and took off his glasses. Kabuto reached for them, and she put them behind her back, then dropped them into the water. Leaning closer to him, she said, "Oops." He reached for them again, and she took hold of his shirt with both hands, and pulled him into the tub. His back against the wall, and feet dangling over the edge of the tub, he was now in water up to his waist. Holding up his glasses for him, she shook the water off of them and put them back on his face. He seemed stunned.

This was not something that she particularly wanted to do, but the situation called for it. "Orochimaru will be very angry with you, Kabuto. Are you sure you can handle it?" He nodded. "Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you." She then turned him so that his entire body was in the tub. Falling onto him and laughing, the former Cloud shinobi wondered what Orochimaru would do to him. _It won't be anything he doesn't deserve, I'm sure._

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------o-o-o-----------------------------------------------------------------

On New Year's day, Orochimaru himself showed up just after midnight. She had stayed home and watched television, and was just going to bed when he made himself known. "Don't you people ever knock?" She asked when she turned on the light in the bedroom to see him sitting in the corner chair again. He was dressed in a green kimono with leaves woven into the fabric. _Ironic._

"I'm sorry, Amaya-san. I came to ask you two questions."

"Hurry and ask. I'm sleepy."

"Will you come with me?"

"You know I won't."

"Did you sleep with Kabuto?"

So he had found out…this could prove to be troublesome. "If I did?"

"Then I would have a third question: why?" His eyes had narrowed to very snake-like slits. He was in a dangerous mood.

"Do you want the truth?"

"Always."

"I did sleep with him, but it was in self-defense. If I had not, he would have used his medical jutsus on me again, and I still had bruises from the time before, when he came on your behalf." Amaya sat down on the bed, looking over at the snake-Sannin. "Please don't tell Kabuto. I would feel terrible if he found out it was only my self-preservation instinct. He had such fun…" _Ah, yes. Pour salt into the wound. _Orochimaru stood suddenly and took the few steps over to the bed. He raised his hand to strike her, but she caught it and stood, her eyes blazing dark fire at him.

Anger flared, nearly blotting out her vision. "I am nowhere near as powerful as you, and I know not even half the jutsus that you do, but I will not allow myself to be struck like a child. Do you understand me?" She released his hand, and moved to the chest of drawers to get her pajamas. He got in the way. His venomous mood persisted.

"Amaya-san, even if I have to tie you up, you will come with me eventually."

"What do you want me for?"

"For you." His voice had softened, and there was an odd look on his face. She blinked. _What does that mean?_ "Your techniques are not that interesting, but you have a force of will and a reputation that I could not resist. I had Kabuto watch you, and research you. Then I watched you myself. For three weeks, I did nothing that did not involve you. And it seems that you even bested Sasuke, though he would not say how. Neither of you had a scratch on you, so I'm assuming you used genjutsu. Also, you're more powerful than Kabuto, yet you didn't use your true powers on him. Why?"

"You do tend to ramble, don't you?" He didn't seem like he was going to give up the subject. "I'm not going to tell you about Sasuke. That's between him and me. With Kabuto, the matter is rather simple. I don't think you realize how unstable he really is. With the right kind of provocation, he'll explode. In other words, he's not psychotic, but he has that potential. I just didn't want to bring it out."

He seemed genuinely relieved that she wasn't in love with Kabuto. Jealousy is a terrible thing… "Did you punish him?"

"Yes, I did. But it did no good." He looked her in the eye. "He smiled the entire time. I don't think he felt anything at all." His hand touched her cheek again, the with same warmth as before. "What did you do to my Kabuto?"

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know?"

"Actually, I would."

"Not in a million years. I'd sooner sleep with Jiraya-sama."

"That really hurts, Amaya-san. Jiraya? I see you like them big and stupid?" He was playing with her, and she knew it, but she was playing with him, as well. He leaned closer to her. His eyes grew large, and they began to pull her in. Fighting those eyes was very difficult, but it seemed to be a type of genjutsu, though she didn't need to actually release it. It was more a battle of wills. Orochimaru's will is very strong. Before she could be completely free from his eyes, he kissed her.

It was a strange feeling. To try to compare it to anyone else, even Kabuto, would not be fair or accurate. In that moment, his eyes closed, and Amaya finally saw that in spite of all his powers, jutsus, and everything, he was only a man. Men could be manipulated. She had proved that very well with both of his underlings, but he would be a prickly pear to pick. After a moment, however, she decided on a strategy.

She pushed away from him, a look of consternation coming over her face. He seemed surprised. "O-Orochimaru…I…can't."

"Why?"

"I just can't." Turning from him, her voice began to quaver. "Can you please leave? Please?" She lay down in the bed, facing the wall. Orochimaru's weight settled next to her. His presence was overwhelming, almost oppressive. "Please…" she felt his hands, moving, moving, and finally coming to rest, with his arms wrapped around her. _Is he still playing with me? What is he doing?_

"Please, Orochimaru, I need you to leave."

"I'll leave if you tell me why."

She sat up, angry. "It's because I'm confused! Now get out!" She shouted at him, and he did not flinch, though he did look hurt. Or, he looked as hurt as Orochimaru can look.

"I'm sorry if I offended," He said, and left. She may have been mistaken, but she thought that there had been a small smile of triumph on his face. That was good. Let him think he was winning.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------o-o-o----------------------------------------------------------------------

The next week, she was in a bookstore, and turning a corner, was grabbed from behind. Amaya broke the grip of the assailant, and then whirled to see who it was. Her eyes narrowed. Kabuto stood there, a bandage on his left arm. Why was he there? In a public place like this, anyone could see him. Then she saw that his arm was not only bandaged, but bleeding. Why had he not taken care of it with his medical jutsu? "Kabuto…"

"Are you here on Orochimaru's orders?" he shook his head. "Are you ok?" He shook his head again. "Meet me in the women's restroom." Amaya walked off toward the rear of the store. After a few minutes, he arrived, and she took a look at his arm.

"Kabuto, is this part of Orochimaru's punishment?" He nodded. "Can you speak? Your silence is unnerving." With her limited knowledge of medical jutsu, she healed the wound as best she could. It would leave a scar, unlike when Kabuto did this sort of thing himself.

His voice was a raspy whisper. "I can, but I sound like a frog. When he returned from your apartment, Orochimaru-sama was in a rage. What happened?" She told him as much as she thought he should know, and he nodded. "He's frustrated, then. I can understand that." He moved his arm, and did not seem to be in as much pain as he had been.

"You couldn't use your medical jutsu? I thought you were nearly as good at it as Tsunade-sama."

"I am, but Orochimaru-sama punished me further by using a device that sucks out chakra. I couldn't have used that jutsu even if I had tried." He collapsed onto the floor. Amaya picked him up and slung him across her shoulders. She had decided to take him back to her apartment, since it would be rather unpleasant for him to be found in a ladies' restroom.

When they were in her apartment, she put him to bed, and started making a cold compress for his head. As soon as it was applied, he came to. "Don't move. You're staying here until you're better. I'm not a medical shinobi, but I think that I can do alright for helping you recover your chakra. You need food."

She went into the kitchen, and started to gather ingredients for a stew. When it was done, she brought a bowl to him. So that he could sit up without any problems, she sat behind him, and had him lean on her. When he was finished, he thanked her for the food. She put the bowl aside, and told him to sleep. Before she could get up, he grabbed her hand. "What is it?"

"Do you love Orochimaru?"

"How could I love him? I'm pretty sure he killed my parents."

"No, that wasn't him."

"Who was it, then?"

"It was me."

"Are you lying to me?" She asked, stunned. The idea that she had willingly slept with the man who murdered her parents was not a welcome thought.

"Why would I say that if it weren't true? It puts a damper on things, doesn't it?" His face was pale, and she thought dully that he might have a fever.

"No," she said with honesty that surprised even her, "You didn't know me when you killed them. Was it on Orochimaru's order?"

"Of course. I don't kill people for no reason." Kabuto's eyes were closed. He was drifting off to sleep. It would be so easy to kill him. He was weakened, and he couldn't use his jutsu. But then again, it would be very dishonorable to kill him when he was unconscious.

The next day, Kabuto was fully recovered. Amaya I opened her eyes, and Kabuto's face was very close to hers. "Good morning, sunshine." His voice was no longer the raspy froglike voice of the day before. This greeting was very sudden, and she started, and fell out of the bed. Groaning, she heard him laughing at her. His head poked out over the side of the bed. "Jumpy, aren't you?"

"That wasn't funny, Kabuto."

"But it was." He was smiling like a little boy. Orochimaru was hard to read most times, but sometimes Kabuto was impossible. He got out of the bed, and helped the annoyed young woman up. He certainly was feeling better. He wasn't pale, and there was no fever. On his arm, there was a scar, long and thin, about four inches above his wrist. Frowning, she traced the slightly raised strip of pinkish skin. He had that scar because of her. "Don't worry about it. It doesn't hurt."

"But Orochimaru did that to you because of me, Kabuto. It's my scar. I would take it if I could." Amaya realized as she said this that she actually meant it. She hated it when people suffered because of her, no matter who they were. Kabuto took her in his arms, and held her close. It was a comforting embrace. If he was capable of this kind of emotion, there might be hope for him yet. She smiled into his shoulder.


	3. Letters

**A/N: ** Ok. I thought that for this chapter, I would post and respond to a couple of reviews. Responses will be in **bold.**

Xiaoyou: Please continue! **Oh, but I will. Amaya won't let me stop until it's finished...**

Awreel: nice but i dont understand why is she doing all those things with kabuto.. i thought she doesnt like him.. please let her be with orochimaru.. i love him:)** Well, I just do what Amaya tells me to, really. It isn't up to me who she ends up with. Besides, in Chapter two, she's just starting to warm up to Kabuto, and you get to see a little more of her soft and squishy side. But anyway, Amaya wants to say something...**

**Amaya: Oh, you guys...you have NO idea...Orochimaru is really hot and all, but I--**

**antilogicgirl: Shut up, now! You'll spoil the surprises! **

**Amaya: pouts Oh, just because you're the one in control...**

**antilogicgirl: rolls eyes Seriously. You're supposed to be an adult! And you can forget all your smutty ideas, too. Those aren't going in. I had to get rid of pages and pages of gory detail when you were in the bath with Kabuto! twitches...ugh Anyway, let's get on with the show!**

Three: Letters

Standard Disclaimers Apply

For a month, there were unexpected visitors. It had become so quiet, Amaya thought that the lot of them had given up on her. Then, a note was slipped under her door. Trudging out of her bedroom in fuzzy bear slippers, she picked it up. It was written in black ink, and folded three times, the length of the paper. It read:

_Dear Amaya-san,_

_Please meet me at the café two blocks from your apartment. _

_Domo,_

_Jiraya_

_Oh, what is that pervert doing here?_ If he were to be spotted, it would be very bad. He stood out very easily, what with his size and that shock of white hair…

So, she dressed hurriedly and headed down the street to the café. When she walked in the door, she saw him immediately in the otherwise empty café. She sat, noticing that Naruto was there as well, though at a table nearer the door. "Jiraya-sama, you shouldn't have come. I am under surveillance."

"I know who is watching you. What I don't know is why you didn't tell me when you came to see me." After Amaya explained the situation, and all had been told, including her meeting with Sasuke (during this period, Naruto's ears pricked up, but he held his position at the door), he nodded, thinking. "So you're pitting them against each other, eh?"

Her voice rose higher in pitch. "What else was I supposed to do? My other choices were to be ripped apart by Kabuto's medical jutsu, or have Orochimaru do worse than that to me. Luckily, Orochimaru seems to be in love. The only problem is, so does Kabuto." She frowned, sighed, and banged her head on the table. "What have I gotten myself into?"

Jiraya smiled. "You're just too beautiful, Amaya-san. Even Naruto-kun thinks so. Isn't that right, Naruto?" Naruto started, and then frowned as best he could in the way of denial. Covering her mouth, she stifled a laugh, but Jiraya could not control himself. He guffawed, leaning back and holding his sides. "In fact, I've been meaning to ask you for an int—"

"Oi! Ero-sennin! Get to the point, will you?" Naruto said, as quietly as he could.

"Ah. Well, the point is, I would like you to report to me as often as possible their movements. If they meet you in a public place, tell me where. If they meet you at your apartment, try to find some kind of pattern. And try to tell me everything that happens." He was completely serious. That didn't happen very often with him, so she figured the situation was also serious.

She nodded, and then added, "There are certain details I might have to leave out, for the sake of decency."

"Who's really decent?"

"Certianly not you, Jiraya-sama."

He was on point of arguing, but he simply nodded. He was, after all, a self-proclaimed "super-pervert." She moved to leave, and then turned to Jiraya. "Jiraya-sama?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever had a drink that was made from roses? It smells and tastes as if it has no alcohol in it, but it does. Have you come across anything like that?" He listened to her, and then seemed alarmed.

"Did Orochimaru give you this drink you speak of?"

"Yes."

"Watch yourself, Amaya-san. It is a rare drink. I have heard it said that it takes fifty years to age, and that more than ninety percent of every batch is unsuccessful. If Orochimaru took the trouble of finding that, there may be more trouble than I realized. He may actually be in love with you. Try not to make him overly angry." He did not really have to tell her that. When she said as much, he nodded. "You should get home now, Amaya-san."

As she was walking out, she stopped to speak to Naruto. "He seems well, Sasuke-chan does. He is still Sasuke, so there is no worry that Orochimaru has taken him over yet. And if you see Sakura-chan, tell her he got very angry when I mentioned her. That should make her happy." She bent down kissed his cheek, and he blushed. Jiraya chuckled behind her.

"You see, Amaya-san?" She turned back to Jiraya as he spoke. "No wonder two of the most evil men in the world have fallen in love with you. You're far too kind. Naruto! Stop!" Amaya turned back to see that Naruto stopped, with lips puckered. _Oh, did he want a real kiss?_

She laughed, and Jiraya chuckled. Just for fun, the former jounin tilted the boy's chin up and kissed him. It was interesting. He was stiff for a moment, and then he just sort of melted. When she straightened, she smiled and ruffled his hair. "You're a good kid, Naruto-kun. Try not to be too much like him." She hooked a thumb at Jiraya.

Naruto smiled his most innocent smile, and Jiraya, from behind her, complained loudly that he didn't understand why Naruto had gotten a kiss and he had not. "That is because, Jiraya-sama, this boy hasn't kissed anywhere near so many girls as you have. He would be much more able to appreciate it." Her tone was very serious, but she turned around and stuck her tongue out at him, just as Naruto did the same.

As the door closed behind her, Amaya heard Naruto say, "Ha! Girls like her just like me better, ero-sennin!" She couldn't help but laugh most of the way back to her apartment.

-o-o-o-

When she got home from school in the middle of February, a note in a red envelope was stuck between the door and the jamb of her front door. She took it down as she was opening the door, and examined the outside. It had no markings, save for a seal in gold wax, with the imprint of a snake. Orochimaru usually just let himself in, so why would he feel it necessary to leave her a note? For some reason, she thought it might be of some importance. Opening it while standing in the middle of the living room, she saw that there was a summoning jutsu on the page.

The paper began to smoke, and she dropped it. Suddenly, Orochimaru appeared in her living room. "Is this your way of knocking?" She asked, coughing as the smoke cleared. He seemed different than usual, though she couldn't put her finger on how. His kimono was of a red silk, but he still had his usual black shirt underneath. His hair was pulled back from his face, and Amaya had the full effect of seeing both of his eyes clearly. For some reason, it made him seem more human.

"No, it is an invitation." She looked at the paper on the floor. Below the summoning jutsu, there _was_ a note, asking if she would accompany him to dinner.

"You're asking me on a _date_?"

"Is there a problem?"

"No." She lied. _Of course there's a problem, you bastard. _ "It's just that if you're out in public, won't people see you? I mean, like other shinobi?"

"There's little chance of that. Will you come to dinner?"

"I haven't got any other plans. Why not?" He then held out a package. It was wrapped in red paper. "What is this?"

"I would like you to wear that, if you would, Amaya-san." His tone was very polite, and it sounded a little disjointed. She opened the box, and found the most beautiful kimono she had ever seen lying within. It was white, with red cherry blossoms on the hem and sleeves. There was a narrow red obi of the same color, as well. She went to the bedroom to try it on. It fit very well, and she put on her tabi and geta, then combed her hair, and came out into the living room.

"How do I look?"

"Beautiful." His face seemed to light up. _How can he be capable of this kind of emotion?_ She thought as he said, "Shall we go?" They walked, talking. After a moderate walk, they came to a dimly lit restaurant. When they were seated, she began to look at the menu.

"What will you drink?" he asked as she was looking over the menu. He had a bottle of sake brought for himself, but she was at a loss. Amaya ordered a cup of tea for the time being. "Don't like sake?" His voice seemed to hang in the air between them.

"Not particularly. It's a little bitter for my taste. That drink you gave me when we met was wonderful, though. But I don't think I could drink a lot of it. It doesn't taste like it, but it was really strong." He smiled. He was being…nice. Did he want something, or was it real? With Orochimaru, you can never tell.

They ate, and talked of many things, but he never asked her if she would come with him. When the dessert came, there was a small box on the tray. He took it and handed it to her. She opened it, and found inside a black velvet ribbon, with a large ruby pendant dangling from it. "Oh, it's beautiful!" He took it from her, and tied it around her neck, the red gem resting in the hollow of her collar bone. It was a heavy ornament, but it really was beautiful.

She felt a stab of guilt. This was the man who had ordered her parents' death, but here she was, having dinner with him, and accepting his gifts? It didn't seem fair at all. Why was he acting this way? Jiraya seemed to think that his fellow Sannin may be in love. Was that true, or was he only toying with her because he wanted something from her? It was difficult to understand. Then again, most things about him were difficult to understand. Her head suddenly began to swim. Then she started to sway in her chair, and soon began to fall. Just before she passed out, I saw Orochimaru catch her, a victorious smile on his face. The last thought she had before the blackness came was, _damn you, Orochimaru!_

When she woke, she was not in the restaurant, but wasn't in her apartment, either. This was a darkened room, with very little furniture. Looking around, there really wasn't much to the place. The walls and floor were of naked gray stone. She sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed she lay in. When she attempted to stand, she fell to the floor directly. _Why won't my legs move?_ "You really shouldn't try to stand just now, Amaya-sama." A familiar voice came from a particularly dark corner of the room. In the half-light that seemed to come from nowhere in particular, Kabuto revealed himself. He scooped her up and deposited her back into the bed.

"Where am I, Kabuto?"

"I think you're smart enough to know where you are, Amaya-sama." He stood over her, a strange look on his face, his mouth frowning. _I fell for the oldest trick in the book! There must have been something in the food. _ Kabuto continued, "You are in Orochimaru-sama's mansion. The drug will wear off in a few hours. Until then, please try to remain still. Moving too much will hinder your recovery." He bent down low, and whispered in her ear, "Orochimaru-sama is watching."

Even in Orochimaru's lair, she was still under surveillance. Her voice was just as quiet. "What does he want from me, Kabuto? I can't believe that he's in love with me. That goes against everything I know about him." He said nothing, but shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and his face was above hers. There was an almost pained expression on his face, and she finally understood. Everything had been true. Orochimaru loved her, and Kabuto was excessively disappointed. "It's too late for me, isn't it, Kabuto?"

He seemed suddenly unable to look at her. Was he worried? If _he_ was worried, then she supposed that she should have been soiling herself. Of course, it had been her stupidity that had gotten her into this situation, so she had to deal with it. Kabuto left soon afterward, and she attempted to sleep. It didn't really do much good. She was used to noises of neighbors, the idiot upstairs playing his guitar until all hours of the day and night, and especially, she was used to the hum of electricity. It was very hard for her to get to sleep that night.


	4. In the Belly of the Snake

**A/N:** I have been out of town for a while, and now, I'm back. I am now...posting the newest installment of my story, but I'm so sad, because no one reviewed while I was gone. Now, I have to beg. Please gets down on knees and begs... Man is that pathetic! You should see me! The puppy-dog eyes alone would kill you with their cuteness.

Oh, and I guess I should start putting the evil disclaimers at the start of each chapter, ne? So here goes. Ahem: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters in said manga/anime. The characters Hori Amaya and Hoshi are mine, however, as is the plot of this story. Now, the men in suits can leave me alone.

Please don't forget to review, guys!

* * *

Four: In the Belly of the Snake

"What are you talking about, Kabuto?"

He sighed in a nearly exasperated manner. "Orochimaru-sama has explained it to me in this way, and that is all I can tell you, Amaya-sama. After his transfer into Uchiha Sasuke's body, he intends on producing an heir, with the Uchiha blood."

Her stomach lurched. How long would she have to be kept here, waiting to be a baby factory for Orochimaru? _Is this what he calls love?_ "Is there nothing that can be done, Kabuto?" She turned to him, her eyes brimming with tears. He stared at her, his face a mask of surprise and confusion. He remained silent. "Say something, damn you!" She flew at him, clutching the cloth of his shirt. If there was one thing that frightened her, it was small or enclosed spaces. The place she was being kept had the distinct feeling of being underground, and there's nothing more enclosed than that. Amaya was nearing the point of being hysterical.

Her heart then began to beat oddly, as it had a habit of doing when she was overly exerted, or distressed. This caused her to gasp for breath. The problem with her condition was that when this happened to her, she couldn't breathe, and her muscles would go entirely slack. Her eyes bulged, and her hands let go of Kabuto's shirt. Her knees buckled, and she fell. As she hit the floor, Kabuto blinked in surprise, and an instant later, he was kneeling at her side.

His features were drawn in a look of grim determination. Chakra ignited around his hands, and he moved them over her chest. "Amaya-sama, you…"

By this point, her breath had begun to return. "Don't tell Orochimaru, Kabuto. Please. He'll only take it as a weakness." He shook his head, indicating that it was his duty to inform his master of any condition that might effect his plans. "This…is why…I quit being a shinobi. I was diagnosed with this condition, and there were no treatments for it. After I collapsed on my last mission, I was forced by my commander to resign my post."

Kabuto put a hand over her heart, chakra surrounding his hand once again, and the warmth of it sank into her chest. When his probing was complete, he nodded. "There is a way, Amaya-sama, but if you go through with this, there is a more than a slight chance you will die."

"So my options are death, or becoming Orochimaru's baby factory?"

Kabuto smiled wryly. He nodded, "Not in so many words, but yes, basically."

"Son of a bitch. Help me up, Kabuto. I am going talk to Sasuke-chan." He helped her off of the floor, and walked her to the door. "Where is his room?" Kabuto led the way, holding Amaya's arm since she was still shaky. The passages were winding, and she realized that there would be no way for her to escape. _Damn you, Orochimaru!_ About halfway to Sasuke's room, Kabuto stopped.

"What are you going to talk to him about?"

"What do you think, Kabuto?" Her voice was even, and she thought he could tell that she had formed some kind of plan. "Anyway, I don't think that the hallway is the right place to discuss this, do you?" He nodded, and they proceeded down the hall. It took a while, because she was still a little weak from the attack. Kabuto walked silently beside her, and as she snuck a look at him, Amaya saw that there was an expression on his face that she had not yet seen. There was worry there, as well as a good bit of determination, but the overriding emotion she saw on his face was anger. He was scary just then.

When they reached Sasuke's room, Kabuto knocked on the door three times. The young man opened the door just enough to admit his head. "What do you want, Kabuto-kun?" His eyes widened when he saw Amaya. "Why did you bring her here? Are you insane? Orochimaru-sama has ordered that she is to remain in her room for the time being." The fifteen-year-old Uchiha ushered them quickly into his room, looked up and down the corridor, and then closed the door.

Kabuto had settled onto the floor, and she was sitting on the bed when Sasuke turned around from closing the door. Amaya looked up at him, and asked, "Do you remember what I spoke to you about, Sasuke-chan?" Kabuto's eyes flashed warning. Sasuke apparently did not like being referred to in this manner. He had, however, learned to keep his temper since the last time she had seen him.

"I remember, Amaya-sama." His face was a mass of anger and tension.

"Good. I need to ask you something."

"What is that, Amaya-sama?" Sasuke stared at the wall, just over her head.

"I wanted to know how you feel about Orochimaru's plan to continue the Uchiha line without you." As she said this, Kabuto's shoulders slumped. The Uchiha looked her in the eye, stark disbelief on his face. She continued, "I have just been informed of my fate. I know that you won't really be the one to do this to me, but I wondered how you felt about me bearing the children of the body you'll leave behind." Sasuke's face changed from its usual pale hue to a vaguely magenta color.

Before Amaya could stop him, he had picked Kabuto up off of the floor, and the silver-haired shinobi's legs dangled in the air. "What else do you know that you're not telling me, four-eyes?" Kabuto hung there for a moment, suspended, and then ignited one of his medical jutsus in his left hand. When he had done this, he held it at Sasuke's neck. The younger shinobi lowered him to the floor, and seemed to regain some amount of his composure. So he had not known…interesting. Apparently, being Orochimaru's future container was not such a trusted position as Kabuto's was.

Sasuke sank to the floor. He stared up at Amaya, horrified disbelief all over his face. His eyes had turned the red of the Sharingan when he hauled Kabuto off of the floor, but they were their natural black color now. He had not been in control of himself at that point, and it was good that Kabuto had kept a cool head. She left the bed, and came to rest in front of him, sitting on her heels. Taking his hand in hers, she held it gently. As she looked down at his hand in hers, she saw that his skin was the same creamy hue as her own.

Raising her eyes to his face, she asked softly, "Do you really want to become his vessel?" He was very close to crying, and she did not want to see this young man weep, but it was necessary for her point to be taken. It was necessary for both of their sakes. "One of your objectives will be achieved, that is true, and that is the revival of your clan. The other, if it is accomplished at all, will be done by someone other than you. Is that alright with you?"

His head drooped, and his shoulders began to shake. "Given the choice, I know that if you could, you would kill Itachi. What will you do then? Would you remain here, or would you go home afterward? You will have avenged your clan, your family. But is that enough? Is revenge all there is for you? I want you to think long and hard about this, Sasuke-chan. Your life, your clan, and your vengeance depend on it." There were now several wet patches on his lap where tears had fallen. She raised his face toward the light. With the sleeve of her kimono, Amaya wiped away his tears.

There was a look of innocence on his face just then, so much so that he seemed far younger than he was. "You remind me of someone…" His voice came in a whisper, choked by emotion. "You remind me of my mother." Moving closer to him, she took him in her arms. Sasuke collapsed into the embrace, wracked with sobs. Between gasping cries, she could hear him wispering, faintly, "Okaasan…" She was very nearly moved to tears herself. Kabuto only stared. He was unsure of how to react to such a situation.

Soon, he quieted, and raised his head. Face stained with tears, he smiled at her. It was not the malicious Orochimaru-like smile she had seen him use when he attempted to fight her before, but a real smile. She had the feeling that this was not an expression his face was used to. "Please give it some thought, Sasuke-chan." He nodded, and they both stood. Amaya smiled, and hugged him reassuringly. He was not stiff as she thought he would be. This boy had suffered much; that was clear. But for him to go to Orochimaru in order to attain his revenge was just pointless. He was beginning to see that now.

Kabuto pulled at her sleeve. She followed him from the room, and he took her back to the area of the "mansion" where she was being kept. She paused with a hand on the door to her room. "Kabuto?"

"Yes, Amaya-sama?"

"Am I really nothing special?" she asked in a bemused way. Truly, she had been thinking the entire way back about her position, and how things had turned out. Amaya felt horrible for using him, for using Sasuke. Sasuke was not so bad, as long as he came to his senses, and Kabuto had a side that was almost likeable. The problem was their proximity to Orochimaru. But what she was wondering at the moment was her exact position in the scheme of things.

She then felt Kabuto's presence behind her, very close now. His arms encircled her waist, and his chin came to rest on her shoulder. "Amaya-sama, you are a powerful shinobi, even with a heart defect. You have caught the eye of Orochimaru-sama, you have changed Sasuke-kun in only a few minutes, and I…" His hands moved from her waist to her shoulders, and he used them to turn her toward him. She could feel his heart beating through his palms. Her hands moved on their own, removing his glasses just before their lips met. She realized all too quickly that the situation had just become much more complicated. She felt Kabuto's arms around her again, and then was she suddenly being lifted off of the floor. When he had pushed his way into the room, he kicked the door closed and carried her to the bed.

_Is this the same person who nearly killed me not that long ago? _She felt herself being gently lowered to the bed, and Kabuto's weight settling on top of her, though not uncomfortably. His every move, every touch, was gentle, and she silently thanked him for it.

Hours later, she woke up in his arms, and watched him sleeping. He really did look innocent when he slept. Like an angel. Amaya sighed, but softly, so that she wouldn't wake him. _This is an unexpected turn of events…How will Orochimaru react?_ At the moment, it really didn't matter. At the moment, Orochimaru did not even exist.

* * *

She was given fresh clothes to wear, a black kimono with a white obi. It felt like being a prisoner, but the visits from Sasuke and Kabuto helped. Sasuke had brought a small collection of books, ranging in topics from ninjutsu techniques to physics. The physics books remained untouched, as she had never really had a head for that sort of thing, but the rest were greatly appreciated. The entire gesture was appreciated, and she told him so. In the days since Amaya had been brought there, she had not once seen Orochimaru, and wasn't sure that she wanted to. Sasuke was usually training during the hours that she assumed were the daytime, but since her room had no windows, it was difficult to tell the passage of time. When he was finished, he usually came to her room to talk with her.

On the third of his visits, he was quiet for some time, but then said, "Amaya-sama?"

"What is it, Sasuke-chan?" He no longer seemed annoyed when she called him 'Sasuke-chan.' It was a term of endearment between them.

"Did Sakura seem well when you saw her?" His eyes were downcast, and she could tell he had been wanting to ask this question for some time, but had been too ashamed to.

"She was in good health, Sasuke-chan. Sakura-chan is a strong girl, but…" She took a deep breath. "She misses you, Sasuke-chan. But you already knew that, didn't you?" He looked up at me, his brow furrowed in distress. _So, you do care about her…how cute. _ "Do you care for her, Sasuke-chan?"

He looked away. Perhaps he was not ready to admit to such things yet.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-chan, I did not mean to offend you." She crossed her hands in her lap, and looked down at them, in an apologetic posture.

He reached over and squeezed her shoulder. "You didn't offend me, Amaya-sama. It's just that…Sakura-san is—" he hesitated, thinking of how to word what he was going to say. "—she is very important to me." He sighed. _Wow. That was like pulling teeth. But at least it's out there._ His eyes flicked over Amaya's face, and back down at his lap, and then he seemed to gain some courage. "You asked me what I meant when I thanked Sakura-san."

"I did."

He looked into her eyes, and drew himself up. "I meant that I was thanking her for trying to make me stay. I didn't want to stay, because I thought that if she was near me, I would never really get stronger, because I would always have to be protecting her. In the past two years, I have become stronger in my jutsu, in my chakra control, but there's still something holding me back." He nodded, satisfied with what he had said. He had been giving this a lot of thought. Sasuke smiled his boyish smile at her, and she smoothed his hair.

"Save those smiles for Sakura, you little devil." She grabbed him roughly and hugged him, wrestling with him and laughing as he tried to get away. When he had extricated himself and straightened his kimono, he composed himself and tried to look like the Sasuke she had first met. "Oh, what's this all of a sudden? You're getting all dignified on me. Don't tell me that _now_ I really _have_ offended you!" He looked coldly at her, and she reached over and poked the middle of his forehead. His surprise was very visible. "You really do need to learn how to take a joke, Sasuke-chan. Then, if you hear a good one, you can actually laugh."

Sasuke looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Please, don't talk that way about me and Sakura-san, Amaya-sama. I don't think she'll want anything to do with me now." He seemed very disappointed. His eyes narrowed at her. "By the way, I saw Kabuto-kun sneaking in here last night. What's going on with that?" This was a valiant attempt to change the subject. Sasuke's mouth had begun to curl into a wicked smile, but this one was not like his own, nor was it like Orochimaru's. It reminded her of Naruto.

"That's for me to know, and you to keep your nose out of unless you want your eyes to burn out of your skull." She smiled just as wickedly right back at him, and he started.

He shut his eyes tightly, shaking his head to clear any possible bad mental images. "Ack! Amaya-sama, that's terrible! You know, there is such a thing as _too much information._" She laughed at him, and he scowled at her. After a moment, the grin reappeared on his face. "Isn't he a little young for you, Amaya-sama?"

She stopped laughing. Her tone became serious. "Sasuke-chan, is that really much of your business? And no, for your information. He's only four years younger. Anyway, according to Orochimaru, it'll be you next, and you're younger than Kabuto. So I wouldn't be saying much about age if I were you." He seemed to understand the situation better now, which was good. There was little she could do other than try to prod him into action, and the fact that she had become fond of him didn't hurt.

For a time, both of them were silent.

"We'll see about that."

That surprised her. "What did you say, Sasuke-chan?" She had been leafing through a book on wildflowers, and looked up from it. His face had the look of one in serious thought, and she could tell that the wheels were turning, but in what direction were they headed? For long moments, he was silent, staring at her. She began to think that he had spaced out, but after a moment, he spoke.

"I think that there may be a way to save both of us." His nose crinkled as his brows drew down, and he thought. "But a large part of it depends on your…influence with Kabuto-san." He elaborated on his plan, and Amaya listened. They both were keeping their ears open for any signs of spies. No one seemed to be around, but he spoke in a low whisper, very close to her ear. His plan seemed sound, but as he said, it depended much on her pull with Kabuto. It all depended on her…

Suddenly, there was the faint sound of footfalls in the corridor. Sasuke moved a few feet away, and she re-opened her book, laying it on her lap. "How was your training, today, Sasuke-chan? You still haven't told me about that."

"It was ok. I didn't really get that much accomplished, because Kabuto's heart didn't seem to be in it. He's really slacking off lately. I wonder why that is…" he shot her a grin as the knock came at the door. "Orochimaru hasn't noticed anything yet, but if I tell him, he may want to supervise."

"Come in, please." She said, and the door opened, admitting Orochimaru's newest acquisition, a tiny shinobi, formerly of the hidden Rock Village, a young girl named Hoshi. Her green eyes fell on Sasuke and she blushed. Amaya could almost feel his eyes rolling. It seemed that even here, he could not escape the 'Sasuke Fan Club.'

"Ah, Amaya-sama, if you would please come with me?" She gestured to the door, and Amaya rose to leave with her.

Before she left, she turned back to the young man seated on the floor. "Sasuke-chan, if you have any books on birds, I would greatly appreciate it if you could lend me one. I have always been fascinated with how they fly." He nodded, his face solumn. As they walked, the captive woman thought about the young Uchiha. She was beginning to see why Sakura liked him so much. He was dark and brooding, but there really was a likeable side to him, it only needed exercise. _Speaking of exercise, we've been walking for a while, I wonder where she's taking me?_ She asked Hoshi as much, and she told her that she was being taken to Orochimaru.

"Has he requested my presence?"

"Yes, Amaya-sama, he has."

"Did he give a reason for it?"

The girl paused momentarily, and turned to look up at blankly up at Amaya. "No, Amaya-sama. He did not. Now, please?" She turned and continued to walk down the corridor. _Down_. They had been going _down_ for some time. The temperature began to drop, and soon, Amaya was shivering, her bare feet beginning to sting with the cold. Her breath created mist before her eyes, and the walls seemed to have a thin coating of ice on them. _What is this place?_

The girl stopped, and pointed to a door at the end of the corridor. Nodding her thanks, she proceeded without Hoshi. She raised a hand to knock on the door, but it opened before her knuckles could touch the ironbound wood. A rush of warm air came from the room beyond the door, and she hastened inside, if only to get out of the chill in the corridor. This room was brightly lit, but was very sparsely furnished. There was a table in the center, with a stool next to it, and a couch in one corner. As the room was rather large, she wondered what it was used for.

On the couch, Orochimaru sat. He gave a little wave, and said, "Hi." His voice was almost perky. Something was wrong, here. "Come and sit down, Amaya-san." She walked the twenty feet to the couch, and sat next to him. It was the first time she had seen him in what must be weeks.

"Where have you been, Orochimaru?" Amaya tried to keep the frustration out of her voice. Though she had been dreading it, she had also been waiting to see him, if for no other reason than to give him a piece of her mind. He smiled, but remained silent, watching. His gaze had a weight to it, and she felt uncomfortable beneath it. She wanted to get up and pace, but could not. His eyes held her fast to her seat.

"I have been busy. I take it Kabuto told you about my plans for our family?" He smiled again, this time in a way that chilled her to the bone. He was having _fun_ watching her squirm. This was his way of teasing her. _Oh, why do I always attract the evil types?_ Now, he leaned toward her, and whispered in her ear, "It won't be long, now. Only a few more months. Soon, I will be able to transfer into Sasuke-kun's body, and we can begin a new line of Uchiha, just as he wants." She felt his breath on her neck, and his hand on her arm, a slow and persistent pressure. That hand moved up to the collar of her kimono, pulling the fabric aside to expose bare skin. His fingers traced her collarbone, causing her to shiver. Her heart beat faster. She felt strange. _What's going on?_

Amaya suddenly realized that she couldn't move. For all of her training in psychology and genjutsu, she did not understand what technique he had applied to render her motionless. She could breathe, so it wasn't a total paralysis technique. And when she tried, found that she could speak. "O-Orochimaru?" her voice was weak. He did not answer. She felt his hands begin to remove her obi. The knot was not complex, and he had no trouble removing it. _My heart_…it beat even faster than before, and her breath came in near-gasps. "Wha—" she began, but gasped as he pulled the narrow sash away, dropping it to the floor. "What are you doing?"

"You won't make me wait so long, will you?" His voice had dropped lower in tone, and it was hypnotic. His hands were so warm…and there seemed to be so _many_ of them. He was clearly enjoying himself. _Is it genjutsu? Is it some kind of trick? Or is it just Orochimaru?_

Suddenly, Kabuto's face flashed before her eyes. He was hurt and angry. It was this image that finally gave her the strength to push Orochimaru away. Her hands shook as she placed them on his chest and shoved as hard as she could. He was pushed only a foot further from her on the couch, but it was enough. She breathed heavily. Gathering her kimono around herself once more, she stared daggers at him and said between gasps, "You'll wait—as long as I—damned well—say—you will."

He raised an eyebrow. Without a doubt, he had not expected her to be able to break his spell. "You are full of surprises, Amaya-san." He leaned closer to her, and chuckled. "I have a feeling you may be worth the wait. Perhaps I should ask Kabuto-kun?" Her eyes widened, and she blushed. "He would know, after all, but then again, it _was_ his first time, so he would have nothing to compare it to, would he?" Orochimaru's laugh echoed through the room. She felt a small knot of tension release. He had not found out about she and Kabuto yet…But he was being cruel, because he knew very well that asking Kabuto about any such thing would be useless.

Orochimaru lounged on the couch once more. He made a dismissive gesture with his hand, and her eyes narrowed. Jaw clenched, she muttered a tense farewell. It had been a very long time since she had been so thoroughly dismissed. How could this man claim to love her if he did such things? Was it only that he wanted to have a line of little Uchihas ready for when Sasuke's body gave out? Why did he find it so important to have an heir if he had already performed his immortality jutsu? There were too many questions left unanswered. And there really was not much time left.


	5. Don't Hold Back

**A/N:** Thanks to you guys for reviewing. I have enabled the "Anonymous review" part, so if you're not feeling like logging in or just dont' have an account, you can still review. Thanks Das Leech, for letting me know about that. I was totally oblivious, as I am with most things that involve technology.

**Legal stuffiness:** I don't own Naruto, even though it would be nice if I did. The original characters not found in the manga/anime are mine, though, and you can't have them!

**Review, Please.** If you don't like what I'm doing, go ahead and flame me. I've got my asbestos suit handy, and it might just tickle a little. Any input is better than none, as long as it's constructive. And now, on with the show.

* * *

Five: Don't Hold Back

The next day, she asked Kabuto if it would be alright if she sparred with him. She felt so cramped and annoyed with being in her room all of the time, she was sure that she would waste away. Amaya borrowed a set of training clothes from Sasuke, and Kabuto took her up a couple of levels to a room that he liked to train in. The prospect of physical activity was momentarily outweighed by the fact that there was a window in this room. She ran over to it, and let the light bathe her face. It was not exactly warm, but it was bright and wonderful. There was still snow on the ground, but it looked as if it were melting. "How long have I been here?" He told her that she had been there for two months.

She put the thought aside. "Rules?"

"No kunai, no shiruiken. No ninjutsu, no genjutsu. Taijutsu only." He positioned himself in the eastern part of the room. "Come, Amaya-sama." She walked casually over to him and began a series of attacks, none of which landed. His taijutsu was not perfect, but it was sufficient to ward of any non-serious attacks that she might come up with. He smiled. "Are you going to get serious any time soon? You seem almost bored."

A slight smile crossed her lips. After nearly landing a punch to his kidney, she dropped low to the ground and delivered a sweeping kick to the backs of his knees. He fell to the ground instantly. She sprang onto him, pinning him to the floor. Bending low, she kissed him lightly. "That was fun. Again?" He smiled. Before she could stand, he extricated himself from her grip and quickly reversed their positions. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You _let_ me win, didn't you, Kabuto?" That made her angry. She didn't _want_ him to go easy on her.

"I didn't, I swear." The smile on his face said otherwise, however.

"Don't play with me, Kabuto. You know how much I hate it. If we're going to spar, don't go easy on me, and don't _let_ me win. I'll be very angry with you, and you'll be sorry later." He looked at her with surprise. She was the one pinned to the floor, him holding her hands above her head, and sitting on her hips, yet, she was telling him what to do. It was not a concept he understood, apparently. She had not told him yet, but she knew that there was always an opening, no matter what.

Bringing her feet around his body, she began pushing with her legs, and slowly, he was being forced to stand. He was halfway to his feet when Sasuke's voice drifted in from the corridor. "Kabuto-kun, what are you doing? Can't you handle her better than that?" Sasuke strolled in from the hall, and leaned on the wall to watch. With a burst of strength, she sent Kabuto flying across the room. Sasuke laughed. "Well, I guess not."

The medic-nin stood, rubbing his head, on which he had landed. "Itai!" He complained that he would have a lump there, and he'd have to heal it later. "If you think you can do better, Sasuke-kun, why don't you try?" The younger shinobi smiled and walked toward the middle of the room. Kabuto explained the rules to him. "And Sasuke-kun, if you go easy on her, you'll have hell to pay."

The dark haired young man nodded. Kabuto seated himself in the corner and settled in to watch Sasuke and Amaya square off. For a moment or two, they circled each other. He was much more tense about it than she was. Of course, he _was_ Sasuke. Because of this lack of control, he attacked first, trying for his _Shishi Rendan_, which she countered easily on its first strike, since his movements were not as fast as she had hoped they would be. "Are you going easy on me, Sasuke-chan?" She asked after she had caught his leg and thrown it aside. He panted for a moment, shaking his head to indicate that he was not. "Well, then, come at me with something more than borrowed taijutsu."

He tried attacking her several more times, and she dodged all of these attempts as well. She yawned, covering her mouth politely. "Is it my turn yet?" He stood about ten feet away from her, catching his breath. When she began to move, his eyes widened. In three steps, she was next to him, catching his left arm in a hooking motion and pulling him off of his feet. He twisted in mid-air, and aimed a kick at the back of her neck. She caught his foot and then blocked a punch aimed at her stomach. She saw him smile, thinking that she was defenseless. Holding his fist, Amaya used not only gravity, but her own strength to pull him down while bringing her knee up into the side of his head.

He flew and rolled across the floor violently. Kabuto rose to examine him. He chuckled. "You knocked him out cold." She smiled. With a simple jutsu, Sasuke was awake in moments. Kabuto shook his head at him. "What did you do to her? You must have pissed her off, Sasuke-kun."

"That was for your comment about Kabuto yesterday." She snorted as he scowled up at her. He was not happy about losing. That was hereditary, as Naruto had told her.

"I'm flattered that you're defending my honor, Amaya-sama, but isn't that my job?" He smiled at her in a kind way. Sasuke rolled his eyes. She walked over and flicked the young Uchiha's ear.

"Ack!" He clapped a hand over his ear. "You really _do_ remind me of my mother." He scowled, once again like a little boy. She laughed for a few minutes at him, and Kabuto joined in. Eventually, Sasuke's mood lightened. "What did Orochimaru-sama want with you yesterday?" Amaya stopped laughing suddenly.

"You remember what I told you about your eyes burning out of your skull?"

His eyes grew wide.

"Well, it didn't quite get that far, I was able to break his genjutsu. I am a specialist at that, you know. Only, I can't quite figure his out. There's a trick; I know there is. I just _can't_ seem to find it!" She flopped down next to Sasuke and leaned against him. The young man stiffened, then relaxed. "I'm really getting tired of him, you know?" Sasuke nodded, lost in thought. She smacked him on the back of his head.

"What was that for?" He rubbed the back of his head.

"What the hell are you spacing out for?" She was just playing with him, but he didn't seem to get it. He jumped on her and wrestled her to the ground. She giggled. He looked confused. "You're so easy, Sasuke-chan." He stood up and walked away, apparently disgusted. From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw him flip his middle finger at her. Amaya shook her head. Before he left, he turned back and looked at Amaya and Kabuto.

"I'll be late tomorrow, Amaya-sama. I have some things to take care of." He slouched off down the hall, and left them alone again.

She eyed the young shinobi standing next to her. He returned the appraising glance, and then moved to attack. This time, he did not go easy on her. In the end, both had bumps and bruises, but she was much happier that way, and so was he.

After they had finished with the third match of the day, Kabuto said he had enough. She knew he was lying. "Are you still worried about my heart, Kabuto?" He hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. She smiled. "Don't be. This operation you were talking about…what do you think my chances are?"

He looked at her, worry creasing his forehead. "Your chance of survival is about seventy percent." She brightened up. "But Amaya-sama, I don't know…there's that other thirty percent that I don't know about. I would have to do a thorough medical workup on you, and that takes time."

She frowned. _Time. That is something that we all have too little of in this case. _ "Kabuto, I need to ask you a favor."

* * *

Kabuto had reluctantly agreed to the plan that Sasuke had come up with, and they began to put everything in order as soon as they could. Amaya was examined every day for at least two weeks by Kabuto, while he did his medical research on her for the operation, and Sasuke would come after his training to visit with her. After he would tell her about his day, they would get down to business. When there was only a month left to go, she asked him, "Have you had any luck?"

"Actually, yes. Contact has been made, but I'm still worried. Will they help us?" Sasuke's face was drawn and weary. During his training hours, he had been trying to find a way to contact his friends in Konoha. For several weeks, he had had no luck. Now, it seemed that he had succeeded in contacting them. "The decision has to be made by the Godaime, Tsunade-sama. I'm sure she's not happy with me right now." Rolling her eyes, she smacked him. "What did you do that for?" He always had to ask…

She was getting tired of the defeatist attitude that he had developed over the past month. He was always down on himself. He had said repeatedly that no one would want anything to do with him since he abandoned his village, and tried to kill his best friend. "Oh, shut up, Sasuke-chan. I've already told you…they all _want_ you back at Konoha. It may take some getting used to, but once you're back, things will get better. You'll find that once you have friends, and something to lose, you'll fight that much harder to keep them. That's how you become stronger, not by hating people. Itachi-san's anger and hatred will only get him so far. Hatred has boundaries. Friendship and love do not." He stared at her. She didn't often go off on subjects like this, so he blinked in surprise. In his stunned state, he could do nothing when she took hold of his head and gave him a noogie.

"Amaya-sama," he said once she had let him go, "There are times when you remind me more of my brother than you do my mother." He rubbed the top of his head, and smoothed his hair. When it had been replaced to its former arrangement, he leaned back on his hands. "You know, I wonder if they really will accept me back. Will I have to go to jail? Will they want to kill me? It scares me, sometimes."

She reached out and took his hand. Squeezing it, Amaya said, "Even if you have to go to jail, which I doubt you will, the sentence shouldn't be too long. I really doubt that you'll have to serve a sentence. However, that nice sensei of yours will most likely want to beat you to a pulp. That goes double for Naruto-kun. And you may have to deal with Kiba, Akamaru, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Neiji, as well. All of them other than Shikamaru were seriously injured when they went after you. Kiba had to attempt seppuku just to get away from those body-melding ninjas. As long as they come at you one at a time, you'll be fine." He looked doubtful. "Sasuke-chan, they're not the types to hold a grudge. Especially not Shikamaru. It's just too much effort." That made him chuckle, which was what she had been hoping for.

"Kiba…seppuku?" He was mystified. She still had not told him the extent of the injuries that the others had incurred. Since all of the Sound Five had been killed, there was no one to report back to Orochimaru about it. She explained to him as Tsunade-sama had explained it to her on her visit. He was surprised by the courage shown by all involved, especially by Chouji, who had formerly not been very high in his esteem. "I guess I misjudged them. All of them." Sasuke was getting depressed again.

"Sasuke-chan, even if I have to break a few of your bones, I'll break you of this self-pity crap. Just get over it. Everything will be fine."

"How can you be so calm, anyway?" he asked. His brow was creased, and his posture was as tense as a bow-string. "Kabuto-kun will be performing your operation tonight, and you aren't even preparing for it. You could die, Amaya-sama!" He slumped against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked like he was pouting.

"I'm not sure how to explain this to you. Basically, if I die, I die, and I don't have anything else to worry about. I'm more worried about you and Kabuto than myself. If I die, what will happen to you? The plan takes all three of us. So, I'm prepared for myself, but there's no preparing for the two of you. I can't do that. The only way I know how to deal with the pressure of everything riding on my survival is to try to help you." She hugged him again, but no noogie this time.

He was like the bratty little brother she never had, and when all was said and done, she would miss him when she went home. Then again, he had invited her to live in the Uchiha compound with him, in his aunt's house. She said she would think about it. School would most likely be out of the question when they all finally got the hell out of this dismal place, so she was actually considering going to live in Konoha.

Sasuke had been spending more and more time alone in the past week, brooding. His face always looked tired, and she kept telling him to get some rest. He would tell her that he had to find a way to contact Konoha, and how was he going to do that if he was sitting on his ass talking to her? He really was a hard-ass. When he wasn't being totally uptight about the plan, he was being insecure about whether the people of Konoha would accept him again, especially Sakura and Naruto. Every time he said anything about that, she smacked him and yelled at him, saying that those two were the ones who wanted him back the most. Naruto really wanted to kick the shit out of him, but she figured after he had done that, or at least given it a decent try, he would be ok with Sasuke.

His worst fears were over Sakura. It was amazing that it had taken him this long to realize his feelings, and she laughed every time she thought about it. He had stopped talking about Sakura around her, since it earned him two smacks for every "Sakura must hate me," type of comment. Some people only really learn with good old-fashioned negative reinforcement. Apparently Sasuke was one of those people.

Now, with only one month to go until the transfer and the culmination of all their plans, Sasuke was a bundle of nerves. He had made contact with ANBU, and they had only to wait for Tsunade-sama's response, then the plan could go into action. If everything worked out, Orochimaru could be taken care of, Sasuke could be saved, and Kabuto could get a suspended sentence, she hoped. There was no getting off scot-free for him. He had killed numerous ANBU, and participated in the invasion of Konoha two years earlier, and attempted to kill Sasuke. She had been concerned that he might not want to go through with the plan if he would have to face jail time. However, he was perfectly willing.

It made her happy to think that once he was out of prison, he could start his life over again, and he was happy about it, too. Now, this close to her operation, knowing that Kabuto would be performing it gave her a great amount of comfort. The only other more qualified medic-nin was Tsunade-sama, and she was sadly unavailable. Kabuto's tests and medical workup on her brought Amaya's chances of survival and full recovery up to around ninety-five percent. He really was good at research.

Sasuke left her soon after this conversation so that she could get some rest before the operation, and shortly after, Kabuto came in. "Are you ready, Amaya-sama?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. Are you still worried?" He shook his head. He was lying again. She didn't mind. She was worried now, too. The plan depended on her living, and hence, it depended on Kabuto's skill. She reached out to him. He came to sit next to her on the bed. "If anything does happen, and I don't survive the operation—"

"Don't talk like that, Amaya-sama…"

"Stop calling me that, Kabuto."

"Amaya…"

"That's better." She placed her head on his chest, and his arm encircled her shoulders. She sighed. "This is nice." She felt him nod, and mumble that it was nice. Amaya turned her head, seeing the worry open on his face. "It's alright, Kabuto. I'm scared, too." Wrapping her arms around him, she placed her head on his chest. From his pocket, he produced a small clock. He set it next to the bed, and pressed a button on the top of it. They lay down together, and fell asleep in each others' arms.

The next thing she knew, her chest hurt like a sonovabitch, and Kabuto sat on the edge of the bed, swaying. She looked down at herself, and saw that she was bandaged. He had not woken her up before performing the operation. In a way, she supposed that it was better that way. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. He put his finger over her lips, shaking his head. Sasuke came in, and saw her in the bed, bandaged and hurting, but alive. "Good to see you're still alive and kicking, Amaya-sama." Just then, Kabuto's eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell off of the bed.

"Kabuto!" Amaya screamed, and then she gasped, when the pain in her chest spread through her entire body, as if a thousand white-hot needles had been driven through her veins at the speed of light.

Sasuke ran over to check on Kabuto. After a moment, he stood. "He's ok, Amaya-sama. He's just used a lot of chakra. Probably more than he should have. Kabuto-kun just wanted to get the operation over with quickly." He arranged blankets on the floor as he talked, and rolled Kabuto onto them. He left the silver-haired shinobi lying on this pallet for a while, and checked on Amaya. "Are you alright, really?"

She nodded, afraid to speak. "Good," he said. "I was hoping you'd be ok. I'm going to go and get some medicine for Kabuto-kun, and then I can ask him what to do about something for your pain. I'm not sure what would react badly with the healing jutsus he's been using." He left quickly, and after twenty minutes of her staring at Kabuto's unconscious form on the floor, Sasuke returned with a large bottle. "Kabuto-kun gave some of this stuff to me once when my chakra was low. It helped right away. It tastes terrible, though."

* * *

Since she was not allowed above ground under any circumstances, she could not accompany Sasuke on his meeting with ANBU. Apparently, they had sent two ANBU, as well as Nara Shikamaru, and his ever-present friend, Akimichi Chouji. As Sasuke told Amaya about how Shikamaru shook his hand, he was dazed. He still couldn't understand that they all wanted him back. Chouji told Sasuke that he owed him a really big dinner. Sasuke had laughed. A real laugh, and his smile reached his eyes, too.

It was amazing how much he had changed in the months that she had known him. Lately, he had taken to calling her 'Amaya-onehsan, and she didn't mind at all. When they got to Konoha, he said, he was going to make her part of the Uchiha clan, as his sister. She felt the same way about him, but still called him 'Sasuke-chan.' After he finished telling her about the meeting, he asked how she was, and how Kabuto had been treating her. "Oh, I'm fine, Sasuke-chan. I'm nearly back to normal. In fact, in two of the four matches yesterday, Kabuto got knocked out." She smiled. It was so fun to beat up on him. He was really a softie when you weren't his enemy.

"Just don't overdo it, onehsan. We only have a week left."

"Sasuke-chan, you have _got_ to relax."

"How?"

"Want me to beat up on you some?" She smiled at him, hoping he'd say yes. Training always seemed to make him feel better. Maybe it was going through the motions of a kata, or the fact that everything melted away from him when he was trying not to get his skull cracked by her, but it really did seem to help. He declined, and Amaya pretended to pout.

"You're really too old to be making faces like that, onehsan." He poked her in the middle of her forehead. That Naruto-like smile had appeared again. _Oh, you're just asking for it, aren't you?_ Just as she was reaching over to grab a handful of his hair so that he couldn't get away when she hit him, a knock came on the door.

She straightened, regaining some composure, and Sasuke's smile persisted, this time looking even more like Naruto. "Come in," she said in a slightly perturbed voice. She had been expecting Kabuto, but it was Orochimaru. Her gaze turned frosty, and she stood. "How nice to grace me with your presence, Orochimaru. It's been a very long time. What is it now? Three months?" The Sannin's eyes flicked toward Sasuke, who had stopped smiling the instant the door slid open. He rose to leave. Orochimaru ignored him completely.

When the door had closed behind the dark-haired shinobi, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "What was Uchiha doing in here?"

She rolled her eyes. "Orochimaru, are you jealous?" His hand twitched, wishing to strike her, knowing she wouldn't let him. "There's no need to worry your pretty head about Sasuke. He's not really my type. Also, He's ten years younger than me. It will be a little different once it's you, though." His right eyebrow flicked upward, indicating at least a slight interest in this comment. "The person I'll dealing with once you're in Uchiha Sasuke's body will be you. You're more than twice my age, as I understand it, so I don't see much wrong with that. I know that it's a double-standard, but I can't help it." She crossed her arms under her breasts and let her face take on an almost sulky appearance.

"If that's how you feel, then why are you making me wait?" His voice had taken on a tone that was dangerously close to whining. _Now, that's not something you hear every day._ She was…amused. She walked around him, trailing a hand over his shoulders, running her fingers through his hair. After making this circuit, she came to a stop in front of him. She pressed herself against him, and stood on tiptoe.

Whispering in his ear, Amaya said, "You don't need to ask Kabuto anything. I'm well worth the wait, Orochimaru." As she lowered herself down to her heels, her lips brushed against his neck. A very slight shiver passed through him, which is a lot, considering the source. His hands quivered, reaching for her. "Ah, you're just going to have to wait…" Standing on tiptoe again, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You can wait just a little more, can't you?" She closed her eyes, and kissed him. Internally, she relished the administering of her favorite form of torture. It was not just his hands that were shaking. His entire body was following suit.

"It's been almost a year, Amaya-san. Why do I have to wait?"

She bit his lower lip lightly. "Don't whine, Orochimaru. It really doesn't suit you." That was the only true part of this business. He really sounded wrong when he whined. For a moment, he lost control, and pushed her roughly against the wall, pulling at her clothes, and pressing himself against her. His kiss was long and deep, full of a need that frightened her. When he paused for breath, she held him back by his shoulders. Her kimono hung off of her right shoulder, exposing most of her breast. His eyes flicked from this bit of exposed skin to her face. His breathing was ragged. If this was what he was like now, what would happen if the plan didn't work, and she was forced to be the mother of the new Uchiha-Orochimaru line?

"Please, Orochimaru. It is only a week, isn't it?"

"Two, actually." Kabuto's voice came from the doorway. He had not knocked. Stepping inside, he said, "Orochimaru-sama needs a week to recover his strength from the immortality transfer jutsu." She hurriedly straightened her clothing, and Orochimaru moved to leave. He shot Kabuto a look that said he would pay for his interruption. When the Sannin's footfalls faded, and they were both sure that he was gone, Kabuto asked her if she was alright. "You seem flustered. What did he do?"

"The usual. His seduction art needs a little bit of work." She sat on the bed.

"He doesn't generally need to seduce women. He's a Legendary Sannin. There's usually at least four or five women at any given time who would gladly give themselves to him." Kabuto spoke from years of experience dealing with Orochimaru, but it was still a little hard for Amaya to believe. After a pause, he asked, "How does he compare to me?" The young shinobi looked at her with a curious expression on his face that bordered on mischief, though she thought she could see through it.

She smiled. This was the only insecurity that Kabuto had. He was competing against his master, a Legendary Sannin. But in this contest, jutsu did not count for much. The only way she could answer the question was honestly. "I like you much better. I can beat you up, and you don't mind. And frankly, he's nowhere near as handsome." He did not seem convinced. Amaya moved closer to him. "How can I persuade you?" She shrugged slightly, and her kimono fell off of her shoulder again.

"I'm sure I can think of something…" The now-familiar leer had come over his face. She laughed, and he tackled her.

* * *

**So, am I doing ok? I know some of you are all for Amaya and Orochimaru to end up together, and then there are those of you who are rooting for her to get with Kabuto. Heheehehehe! I love messing with you guys about this stuff. Well, tune in next time for "Countdown," which is far from the end, but is looking really good.**

** Ja ne!  
**


	6. Countdown

**A/N:** Sorry for the horribly long wait. School is sucking right now, but I have a couple more updates ready for later. This chapter was hard to write, because it required a lot of suspense and stuff. Thank you for the reviews. I'll post chapter seven ASAP, but I can't promise much until after Turkey Day. Don't forget to get your fill of tryptophan from the turkey and take a long nap!

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Chapter Six: Countdown

Orochimaru had been resting for the past few days, and Sasuke had one more meeting with ANBU to confirm the Hokage's position on the cooperation between Konoha and the small uprising faction in the Sound Village. Kabuto had kept all of the underlings busy, preparing for the transfer into Sasuke's body. According to Sasuke, the Godaime was in favor of the plan, if for no other reason than to rid the world of Orochimaru.

Amaya had learned a lot from Kabuto in the months that she was held captive in Orochimaru's lair. Her medical jutsu had greatly improved, though she would never be able to match him, it seemed. He also showed her some new and particularly dirty taijutsu moves that she was not at all surprised that he had learned. Being in the employ of the world's foremost evil genius had its benefits.

As planned, she was given an intricately embroidered ceremonial kimono what was blood red and gold. She sat in her room, contemplating the steps of the plan, and waiting. At a time that was supposedly noon, Sasuke was to be taken to the lowest room in the compound. He was to be dressed in ceremonial garb of the same colors that hers bore. Kabuto entered her room an hour before sunset, the appointed time of the transfer. She swallowed audibly. "Is everything ready?" She croaked.

He took a deep breath. "Yes. We should go." His now-long silver hair was pulled back from his face, and braided intricately. Amaya commented on it as they walked, telling him it looked nice. "Hoshi did it. She says that my hair is pretty." He chuckled. Kabuto didn't care either way about the young girl, but from the times she had seen her around him, she could tell that the former Rock shinobi had bit of a crush. She watched him walk in front of her, his ceremonial kimono catching the light with its simple embroidered pattern of cranes across the shoulders. Because he was not to be part of "the family," as Orochimaru had begun to call it, he didn't need such finery as Sasuke had.

Amaya, on the other hand, was trussed up in a very uncomfortable way, with layer upon layer of fabric weighing her down. Two kimonos, one red, one gold, layered underneath the heavy embroidered silk of the outer kimono. The thing hung off of both shoulders, exposing a large amount of cleavage, which she was not happy about. It reminded her of the way Tsunade-sama dressed, and that did not please her at all. She was a little too fond of exposing herself. All this was held together by the tightest obi she had ever worn in her life, and secured by an obijime cord. Her only relief was that Kabuto had given her a little gift earlier.

A gold chain hung from her neck, suspending a large red stone, which rested in the top of the aforementioned cleavage. What was not readily visible was the fact that the stone was only camouflage for the hilt of a kunai, which was sheathed between her breasts. It would be much easier to move once she used it to slice off the bottom of all of those kimonos she was wearing. She smiled at Kabuto's back. He had changed greatly over the past year, which amazed her. He had been Orochimaru's spy for a very long time, and then worked for him openly. Now, though not exactly repentant, he was willing to admit that it had not been the smartest thing to team up with the snake Sannin.

As they neared the doors of the chamber where the transfer was to take place in less than an hour, Kabuto's steps slowed. He came to a halt just before the doors. He turned around, and she saw a wild look in his eyes. With snake-like speed, he reached out and pulled her to him. "Amaya…"

"Don't say it, Kabuto. I won't stand for it. We'll be fine." She pulled partially away from him. The look on his face did not speak of a lack of confidence in their mission, but something altogether different. She nodded, understanding. "I know, Kabuto." He smiled, and then released her. She straightened her kimono, and made sure that the kunai was not visible, then nodded to him again. He pushed the doors open.

The room was completely dark, save for a large puddle of too-bright light in the center. At the middle of this lighted area stood Sasuke. Somewhere, a large clock was ticking. The young shinobi's eyes were closed, his breathing even. The trussed up former Cloud jounin followed Kabuto into the puddle of light. He positioned her at the front edge of the circle, and she seated herself. He settled down at the opposite end, and now, all that was left was to wait for Orochimaru. For a man who desired power more than anything, he certainly wanted a small audience for this operation. The only two observers allowed were Kabuto and Amaya. Of course, it would take all three of them to carry out the plan, so it was good that the man was so paranoid about his jutsu. Amaya was beginning to get nervous. Maybe it was the clock?

Tick…

They all remained silent.

Tick…

Six o'clock, the appointed time, was drawing near; She could feel it.

Tick…

Her heartbeat began to speed up.

Tick…

The doors began to swing open. She took deep breaths, trying to steady herself. Orochimaru's footsteps echoed through the chamber, in time with the clock, which had begun to chime.

One.

He entered the circle of light.

Two.

She felt his kimono brush past her leg.

Three.

Sasuke's feet made a faint shuffling noise as he shifted his position to allow for Orochimaru.

Four.

Kabuto stood. "Orochimaru-sama," The Sannin looked at his right-hand man, and nodded. The younger man walked forward and pulled Orochimaru's kimono from his shoulders, leaving his torso exposed. There were numerous markings that concentrated around his heart, and spread out in five lines, running the length of his torso and arms, creating the five points of an 'un-seal'. It was necessary for him to unseal the jutsu on his current body before transferring into a new one, and it was this weak point on which Sasuke, Kabuto and Amaya were planning to prey.

Five.

He stepped toward Sasuke.

Six.

Orochimaru's hands blurred as he formed the hand-seals of the un-sealing. His breath caught for a moment as the chakra concentrated around his heart began drawing the seal out from the lines over his body. The markings began to glow red, and then, slowly, to shrink back toward the circular seal around his heart. When they had all merged into a nearly solid circle, he placed his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, his hands glowing with black chakra.

Amaya glanced at Kabuto. He nodded. She rose slowly to her feet, but Orochimaru did not notice. He was concentrating too hard on gathering his chakra for the transfer. It would take a full minute to do so, according to Kabuto. Sasuke's head remained bowed. As she watched him intently, she saw a smile growing on his face. _Not yet, Sasuke-chan. Not yet._

Sasuke's hands twitched slightly. If he moved too soon, before enough of Orochimaru's chakra was gathered in his hands, then the plan would fail. She knew how he felt with that chakra squirming all around him. It felt as if his skin was going to burn off. She silently willed him to keep still. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, she saw Kabuto move. The instant Kabuto took his first step forward, Sasuke made his move.

The hands that had been so eager gripped Orochimaru's arms. With an inhuman amount of strength, he crushed the bones in the Sannin's forearms. Several sickening cracks filled the air, and the chakra clouding around his hands dissipated. _Not exactly according to the plan, but effective, Sasuke-chan. _He could no longer produce hand seals for the moment, but he was still a great threat. From above, the sounds of the Konoha assault were heard.

Orochimaru glared at Sasuke. "Uchiha, you will die. You are no longer fit to be my container." Both Amaya and Kabuto ignited chakra scalpels around their hands, and rushed at him. Kabuto being the more mobile of the two, reached him first. Orochimaru dodged him easily, and landed a sharp kick to his stomach. Doubled over in pain, he began to cough blood.

From behind him, Amaya was able to give him a mean laceration from the base of his skull to the middle of his back. He threw his right arm back at her, and it nearly hit the side of her head. Sasuke, who had stood back for the time being, moved toward Orochimaru, his cursed seal activating. She could hardly make out either man's movements, but it was clear that neither of them were landing any blows. This went on for some time, until she came to her senses, and ripped her kunai from its sheath. The metal was warm, and the weight of it felt good in her hand. After pulling the hilt of it from the red stone at her neck, she concentrated all of my power on seeing the movements of the men before her.

After a few seconds, their motions seemed to slow. By this time, Kabuto had recovered sufficiently to stand upright, and he saw the blur that was Sasuke and Orochimaru. His mouth moved, but no sound came out. Astonishment was written all over his face. The fact that it had been a full minute and neither of them had been hit was insane, she knew, and Kabuto knew it too. She was waiting for an opening, though none had yet presented itself. Orochimaru was bleeding heavily, but was far from defeated. If only an opening…

Finally, one of Sasuke's attacks connected. Orochimaru staggered a step back, freezing for a moment. She took the opportunity to use a technique she had developed as a genin. So simple that it had avoided the notice of all her teachers, it was actually very useful in battle. Attatching a string of chakra to the kunai, she drew it out to a length of six feet. Using it as a whip, Amaya sent the kunai hurtling toward Orochimaru. On its first strike, it sliced the upper part of his left arm. Sasuke attacked again. She flicked her wrist, and caught the kunai in her other hand, waiting for the next opening.

The young shinobi's curse seal had now faded. In fact, it had only remained active for ten seconds. After that, he had apparently decided that he would do this without it. The blurred movements and unbelievable power of the past minute were all his own. He had grown stronger, and from the look on his face, he realized it. As the snake Sannin staggered again, they heard footsteps coming from the hallway. She dared not turn from the fight before her, because Orochimaru was simply too unpredictable. He saw her then, and moved toward her. His eyes held such hatred as she had never known before or since.

Her arm rose and fell again, and he attempted to dodge the kunai, but it was a very simple thing to adjust the blade's path. The point of the weapon embedded itself in his neck, and as she yanked the chakra string, it dislodged itself, a spurt of blood shooting from this new wound. She continued to use the chakra whip, cutting him again and again. Sasuke stood back and watched. The look on his face was of pure amazement. "Don't just stand there, Sasuke-chan!" It was only a matter of time before the secret of her technique would be discovered, and she was not willing to let that happen. If Sasuke could take him out before that happened, all the better for them.

Unfortunately, Sasuke's hesitation allowed Orochimaru his chance. He discovered the secret of the chakra whip, and brought his foot down easily on the strand of chakra. Amaya released it, and waited for him to attack her. For a moment, nothing happened. He just stood there, staring at her. Then she felt it. She felt the overwhelming fear of him that had been squirming in a dark corner of her mind, waiting to be released. His neck began to stretch toward her, and she stood there, frozen. _This is it, isn't it? I'm going to die…_

The doors crashed open just as Orochimaru's face was three feet away from hers. She instinctively made a seal that her mother taught her, one she had always kept only for herself and her children, for protection. It had been taught to her by her brother, Baki, when she still lived in the Hidden Village of Sand. As Amaya's hands parted from the seal, the _Kaze no Yiba_ stretched between her palms. The blade of wind, held up in a defensive posture, would not have done much damage, had it not been for Orochimaru's lightening movements. His head and neck had become like a snake, and his jaws were open to strike. When his mouth clamped down on the _Kaze no Yiba_, she pushed away from herself. It sliced through his neck, nearly decapitating him. Orochimaru's head shot back across the room, his neck shrinking back into his body.

The snake Sannin fell to the ground. She was covered in his blood, and could hardly breathe. The _Kaze no Yiba_ still formed in her hand, she stumbled over to him. He was still alive, although he could not speak or move. Standing over him for a moment, she watched him glare up at her. Though she was not sure if he could hear her, she said, "Sayonara…Orochimaru." With shaking hands, she brought the _Kaze no Yiba_ down on his neck. Death did not change the Sannin's gaze. He still stared up at her, the eyes she would see in nightmares for years to come burning into hers.

Amaya heard a small voice nearby say, in a tone that indicated heartbreak, "Orochimaru-sama…" She turned to her left, and saw Hoshi, the little former Rock genin. She looked up at the taller woman, and her eyes began to glow a bright, virulent shade of green. Vision blurred, and then what stood before Amaya was not Hoshi, but a huge beast of green flame. After blinking once, she realized that it was genjutsu. "Kai!" She released it, but when she had, neither Hoshi nor Orochimaru's body was anywhere to be found. She looked around, and for a moment, did not see Sasuke or Kabuto.

Finally, after a few moments of frantic searching in the darkened areas of the room, she found both young men, piled in a heap on the floor, covered in blood. Sasuke had been slashed across his chest by what appeared to be claws of some kind, and Kabuto's leg was injured in this same way. _Did Hoshi do this? What is she?_ The ANBU and other Konoha shinobi filled the lighted area. She ran back to them, calling for a medic.

A white-clad medic ran to where she pointed, and she finally collapsed to the floor, her head reeling. _Nothing_ had gone as planned, but they had somehow still succeeded. The snake Sannin was dead, but Sasuke looked pretty bad. Amaya hoped against all of her fears that he survived. Otherwise, she would have to avenge her Sasuke-chan. As she sat there in a pool of Orochimaru's blood, she watched the sandaled feet of the shinobi surrounding her. They were running into and out of the dark parts of the room, making sure that Orochimaru's body wasn't there. A pair of feet came to a stop right in front of her.

Amaya craned her neck up to see a masked shinobi with a shock of silver hair. "Kakashi..." She managed to say before she passed out, landing face first in the still-warm blood that covered the floor.

* * *

**A/N:** Come on, you know you want to review. Did you love it? Did you hate it? Compliments, flamage, constructive criticism, they're all welcome. However, just take note of the fact that any flamage will be directed to the Akatsuki Institute. They love to deal with flamers.   



	7. Redemption

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait. I've had so many ideas...but anyway...thanks for the reviews. I love you guys!

**Legal Stuffiness:** If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be living in this crappy apartment!

On with the show, and don't forget to review!

* * *

Seven: Redemption

"What are you so nervous for, Sasuke-chan?" Sasuke sat in a chair near the window of his living room, watching the street. He had been fidgeting, which was very unlike him. Amaya adjusted the collar of her short kimono. The neckline was still low, but it wasn't so bad now that she was wearing her net shirt as well. Why had she kept wearing the thing? The kimono that she had been wearing when she left Orochimaru's lair was now about two and a half feet shorter, and her leg bandages peeked out from beneath the second under-kimono. She supposed that the reason she was still using it as her jounin uniform was that it was a reminder of her mistakes, and how weak she was.

Sasuke's hands stopped playing with the hem of his shirt. He had been strangely nervous all day, and it was driving her nuts. He looked over at her with an annoyed expression. "Amaya-onehsan, please, you're making it worse." She walked up to him and smacked him, just like always. "What--!" He stood up and pretended to start a hand seal, but instead poked her forehead.

"That's it, Sasuke-chan. Outside."

"Sorry, onehsan. Not today." _What?_ Sasuke rarely turned down any attempt to train, or to fight with her, because he still had not beaten her. At least, not with taijutsu. His ninjutsu was far superior to Amaya's, even though he had only just attained the level of jounin the month before. Genjutsu was her specialty, so there was no way he would ever be able to surpass her in that.

A knock came at the door. "I'll get it, Sasuke-chan. You sit down, and relax." He was always so tense! She padded to the door, and opening it, saw the last person she expected to see. "Tsunade-sama!"

She nodded in greeting. "Amaya-san, I went to your house, and you were not at home. I must speak with you. As well, is Uchiha Sasuke here with you?" Tsunade's tone, as always, was a bit curt, but not unfriendly. Since Amaya had come to live in Konoha, the two of them had become reasonably good friends. She invited the slug-Sannin in, and she thanked her. As she led the Hokage into the living room, Sasuke stood, and bowed in his quietly dignified way. The image was a bit flawed, since he was so nervous.

"Hokage-sama," Amaya asked, "What is it you needed to speak with me about?"

"I only needed to tell you that Yakushi Kabuto was released from the Konoha Prison today, and after his processing, will be a free man." The blonde woman smiled at her. She could feel her face redden. The Godiame laughed, and turned to Sasuke, who was also laughing. "Now, Uchiha. You are in deep trouble." He suddenly stopped laughing, and gulped audibly.

It had been a difficult road for Sasuke these past two years. His friends, teammates, and former classmates all were pleased to have him back, but many of the others in the village had still been skeptical of him.

There were vague rumors of sightings of Orochimaru, but nothing concrete. However, there had been other developments, including some aweful business with Akatsuki that Sakura, Naruto and others had to deal with while Amaya, Sasuke, and Kabuto were in the midst of a three-person rebellion in the Sound village. Most of the really big trouble had been taken care of, though Itachi was still out there.

Sasuke's face, as he looked up at the Godiame Hokage, was full of a kind of terror that only Tsunade could inspire. "What did he do, Tsunade-sama?" The younger kunoichi blurted out before she could stop herself. Tsunade aimed her death-glare at Amaya for only an instant, but it caused her to readjust her leaf forehead protector, which was actually around her neck.

She swallowed, and the metal plate pressed against her throat. Why had she let Kurenai adjust it? It really was a little too tight. She laughed at Amaya when she was re-tying the knot, saying that it 'looked better' that way.

"You know that Sakura is back from her mission?" Tsunade's voice was steely. The question sounded like an accusation.

Sasuke's eyes fell.

"She's in the hospital, Sasuke. And you haven't even gone to see her. How is she supposed to heal if all she does is cry?" Tsunade took a couple of steps toward him, and smacked him on top of his head.

"Itai! Tsunade-sama…I'm not sure that she really does want to see me right now." _Oh, is he starting that self-pity bullshit again? I thought I'd broken him of that habit._

"Oh, what the hell did you two fight about before she left, anyway?" Tsunade's hands were on her hips, and she was leaning toward Sasuke, who seemed as if he wanted to become part of the chair he sat in. But when she asked this question, Sasuke sat bolt upright in the chair, folded his arms over his chest, and frowned. He was not going to tell her, and no amount of punishment could make him do so. Or so the look on his face said…

The Hokage sighed. "Just go and see her, Sasuke. It doesn't matter if she wants you to or not. It will make her feel better, even if she yells at you." Just then, Amaya heard the front door slide open, and down the hall stalked Uzimaki Naruto. Holding his grimy jacket in his hand, he entered the living room and looked around, his eyes narrowed. When he found Sasuke, he stood for a moment in shock, then marched straight over to the dark haired young man and stared down on him with a look of utter disgust.

He raised his hands over his head and yelled, "Baka! Baka, baka, baka!" Sasuke looked up at him, confusion all over his face. "What the hell did you do to Sakura-chan? I just came back from my mission and heard that she was in the hospital. I went there to see her. Ino-chan and Hinata-chan were there to visit with her. But you know who wasn't? You, that's who! What are you doing, just sitting here on your ass?" Amaya moved toward Naruto, and put a hand on his shoulder. The muscles under his shirt were tense. He turned to look at her. He was really angry.

"Naruto-kun, please, calm down. We don't know what's going on. The Hokage says that Sakura and Sasuke-chan had a fight before she left on her mission." Although she was trying to soothe him, it really didn't work. On the contrary, what she said only incensed him further. Turning, he pointed at him in an accusatory pose.

"That's it, Sasuke! Outside!"

"Sorry, Naruto. Not today."

Naruto blinked repeatedly. He did not understand. Even now, Sasuke rarely turned down a fight with Naruto. It was one of his favorite pastimes. "Oi, Sasuke…are you ok?" Naruto's face was devoid of all anger now. Concern furrowed his brow. Sasuke only turned to watch the street. Something really was bothering him.

The only thing Amaya could do now was to get both Naruto and the Hokage out of the room, and try to talk to Sasuke. "Hokage-sama, Naruto-kun, I think that Sasuke-chan wants to be alone right now. Maybe we should leave him to himself for now?" The Hokage nodded, understanding, but Naruto protested loudly, saying that they had to beat the truth out of him, because it was 'the only way.' While it was the route she preferred with Sasuke, it would only work if she could make him fight her. "Please, Naruto-kun," She said as she pushed him after Tsunade-sama. When she had gotten him all the way out the door, she turned him around and said softly, "I promise everything will be ok. I'll make him go see Sakura-chan. Now, go home and take a shower. You smell."

Naruto's jaw dropped, then he grinned sheepishly. He ran off down the street, and Amaya shook her head after him. She closed the door. When she got back into the living room, Sasuke was still sitting in the chair, watching the Hokage walking slowly back up the street. She knelt in front of him. "Sasuke-chan, please. Why won't you go and see Sakura?" He remained silent, staring out of the window.

* * *

Flashback...

* * *

_When Sakura and Naruto had come back from their mission to retrieve Gaara, Naruto and Sasuke had an all-out fight, resulting in a draw, as usual. Sakura had tended both of their wounds, which were numerous. She had calmly borne all of Naruto's complaints about the ointments she used having too much sting, and even smiled as she worked. In spite of her annoyance with him, she really had developed a fondness for the loud shinobi. Naruto had gone home, and Amaya had just arrived at Sasuke's house when Sakura began to tend the wounds that Naruto had inflicted on Sasuke._

_Before she rounded the corner, she heard them talking, and stopped._

_"Sakura-san…"_

_"Yes, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura's voice was calm, with no hint at all of her former excess of excitement for him._

_"Are you and Naruto…together now?" He nearly stammered over the last bit. There was a clatter as Sakura dropped a bottle of ointment onto the floor._

_"Ah…" Sakura seemed to be at a loss for words. Amaya didn't need to be able to see the two of them to know that both of them were blushing furiously, but neither of them could look at the other._

_"Gomen, Sakura-san. It isn't my place to ask. I only wondered because…you seem to like him more now, and you…helped him first." Sasuke's voice at this point had begun to sound very unsure. Amaya mentally willed him to knock it off, to be more confident in himself. Was this the same person who went toe to toe with a Legendary Sannin? "Gomen, Sakura-san. I won't mention it again."_

_"NO." Sakura's voice had taken on a firm tone._

_"W-what?"_

_"I mean, no, Naruto and I are not—" Sakura's voice was still calm and firm, but she did not finish._

_"Oh. Ok." Sasuke's tone was much lower, and seemed more calm._

_Amaya backed herself down the hallway silently, and then started walking back toward the living room, where the two of them were. This time, she let herself be heard coming down the hall. When she got to the doorway of the living room, they were seated three feet apart on the couch. Their hands were folded in their laps, and they were looking away from one another. They were the very picture of innocence. There was only one problem. They were both blushing, and Sasuke's ears had turned red._

_"Sasuke-chan, were you fighting with Naruto-kun?" Amaya asked in an accusatory tone._

_"Gomen, onehsan." He mumbled, and looked at the floor._

_She sighed exaggeratedly, and then turned to Sakura. "Take care of this block-head, will you Sakura-chan? I don't know what to do with him."_

_"Hai!" Sakura squeaked. She snuck a glance at Sasuke, who was staring at Amaya in disbelief._

_His adopted sister flashed him a mischevious grin and waved at him as she left the room, "Bye, Sasuke-chan! Have fun, and no more stupid fights with Naruto!"  
_

* * *

End Flashback

* * *

That had been the beginning of his relationship with Sakura. When they weren't on missions, Sakura could usually be found with Sasuke and Naruto, or, more often, with just Sasuke. He was quiet in his devotion to her, and she had developed an air of humility and dignity that suited her much better than when she was just another member of the 'Sasuke fan-club.' He was much more open with his emotions around others now, and laughed more often, which made Amaya feel better.

For Naruto's part, he seemed to give up on Sakura when he saw that Sasuke really did care for her. When he finally opened his eyes and looked around him, he noticed a certain white-eyed kunoichi who seemed to pop up in most places he was. In spite of his idiotic tendencies, he had managed to gain Neiji as an ally, who was helping him to brush up his etiquette in preparation for meeting Hinata's father.

Occasionally, Amaya would visit with Sakura and Sasuke, but most times, she could tell that they would prefer to be alone. They seemed so happy together. Everyone was happy for them, even Ino, who had finally realized that she didn't really like Sasuke that much, but preferred chubbier men. Because of all this, Amaya was completely baffled by the current situation. They were wonderful together. So why was he here, instead of at her side where he belonged?

"Sasuke-chan. Look at me, Sasuke." Her tone had taken on the one she did when she used to train with him at Orochimaru's lair. His ears pricked up out of sheer instinct, and he turned to look at her. "What happened, Sasuke-chan? Why is Sakura-chan crying, and why are you here when you obviously want to go to her?"

He continued to remain silent for a time, but finally seemed to realize that she was not going to leave and let him be a complete idiot. Breathing deeply, he prepared himself to speak. Quietly, and in a tone that sounded as if he were announcing his own funeral, he said, "She said no, onehsan."

" 'She said no?' " She blinked, momentarily confused. "What the hell—oh. Why? Is she stupid?" She tried to bring a fraction of humor into her tone, but he only looked more miserable. "Gomen, Sasuke-chan. Did she say why?" Amaya had wondered when he was going to ask Sakura to marry him, since it had been nearly two years, and it was bound to happen some time. But why, when her dream of him actually wanting her finally came true would she say no? _Baka._

"Because I want children as soon as possible." Sasuke's entire face seemed to sag. It was clear that this had been on his mind for a very long time. It was part of his dream to rebuild his clan, and he obviously wanted to do that with the woman who meant more to him than anything else. "She said that she didn't want to quit being a shinobi just yet. I told her that she didn't have to quit, but she wouldn't listen. She's so stubborn, onehsan!"

Tears had begun to stand in his eyes. She had not seen him cry in a very long time. Taking him in her arms and squeezing him gently, she chided him softly, "It takes two, Sasuke. Both of you have to work at this thing, and the only way you can do this is if you stay strong." He looked up at her, wiping the tears from his face. He seemed confused. "You and Sakura are stronger together than you are apart. She's what makes you whole, and you do the same for her. Now, do both of you a favor. Go over to Ino's and get her a bunch of red roses. If you want, throw in a pink one. Take them over to the hospital, and go see her. If you want, I'll go with you so that I can get rid of any interlopers." When he eyed her suspiciously, she said, "And I promise, I won't listen."

_Like hell I wouldn't._

"But onehsan, she was so angry when she left…"

"Damn it, Sasuke-chan! Get up off of your self-pitying ass and suck it up. Are you a shinobi, a man? Did I or did I not see you fight on the same level with the man who invaded Konoha? What the hell are you waiting for? I even gave you instructions!" She sighed, and then her tone softened. "If she hated you, Sasuke-chan, she wouldn't be crying."

His eyes widened with the realization that Amaya was right. _It's about damned time, moron._ He rose from the chair, a look of composed determination on his face, and started walking to the door. Pausing, he turned back. "How does six red and one pink sound, onhesan?" She nodded, smiling, and made a shooing motion to get him out of the door. He padded to the door to get his shoes, and then she could heard his footsteps speeding up until he was far enough away that she could no longer hear them.

"Ah!" she said, and flopped down on the couch. Relief settled in, and she leaned her head against the back of the couch and closed my eyes. _What in the world am I going to do with those two? And what the hell am I going to do when they start having kids? Scary thought, isn't it? Oh, yeah. A bunch of little Sasuke-chans running around! It will drive me insane, I just know it. They better not call me obasan._

She heard footsteps in the hallway, and asked, "Did you forget something, Sasuke-chan?"

"No." _That wasn't Sasuke-chan's voice!_ Her eyes flew open, her head popped up, and she nearly fainted.

"Kabuto!" She cried, and jumped up from the couch. He was a little thinner than he had been two years before, and his hair was much longer, but it was still Yakushi Kabuto. Amaya flung her arms around his neck, and squeezed. He returned the embrace, though with a bit more composure.

* * *

Press the little button and review, even if you hated it. I need to know if it's good or if it's bad. 


	8. The Forest of DeathA Path Not Taken

**A/N:** Not much to say about this chapter. Other than if you were actually reading this, I'm desperately sorry for not uploading it sooner. No real warnings, except for lightly bad language.

**Legal Stuffiness:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 8: The Forest of Death...A Path Not Taken 

Jiraya sat across the table from her, nodding wisely, considering. He had been doing this for some time now. Amaya rolled her eyes, and sighed loudly. "Oi, ero-sennin!" Naruto, who sat beside her in the booth six people occupied in the bar, reached over and thumped the frog-summoning Sannin. "Spit it out, already!" The young shinobi had been fuming for the last ten minutes, because he had asked Jiraya to stand next to him at his wedding, but the white-haired man had still not given him an answer.

Shikamaru blew out a sigh, mouthing to Kabuto, _"Troublesome."_

Sasuke and Sakura just shook their heads. It really had not taken long for the two of them to make up. According to a nurse, she had seen them through the little window in the door of Sakura's hospital room, holding one another. If Amaya and Naruto had anything to do with it, their engagement wouldn't last as long as Sakura wanted it to. She was fixated on her medic training, but that didn't mean that she couldn't be married while she trained.

"If you don't tell him soon, Jiraya-sama, I'll make sure that you can't do any peeping for a year." Amaya's voice had taken on a dangerous tone, and the Sannin shied away. He held up his hands in a defensive posture. "Now. What is your answer, frog-Sannin?"

Everyone stared intently at him. The silence was thick, and he took a long moment to speak. Finally, he said, "Ok."

Naruto sagged in relief, a blissful smile on his face. No one said anything about him marrying into the Hyuuga family, which Shikamaru had speculated on numerous occasions was simply so that the family could have some comic relief. It might do them some good, since they all seemed so serious all of the time.

Kabuto excused himself early from this little gathering, since he had to be on duty at the hospital in an hour. After saying that he would be home late, and politely taking his leave, he headed out of the bar to the hospital. Naruto nearly split his sides laughing. It took a full five minutes for him to stop long enough to get the breath to speak. Amaya began to worry that there was something wrong with him.

"You two are hilarious." He continued laughing and then asked, "So when can we expect little Amaya-samas and Kabuto-kuns?" By this point, he was overtaken by giggles once again. Taking the fan from behind her obijime cord, she thumped him on the top of his head.

"That's it, Naruto! Outside!" She couldn't control herself. He just kept pushing. When would he learn to leave well enough alone? Well, fat chance of that…

The young man crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "Nope. I'm not supposed to be acting like an idiot, or Hiashi-sama will knock the crap outta me." That made everyone at the table laugh.

"Naruto-kun, if Hyuuga-sama beats you up for acting like an idiot, how come you're not black and blue by now, or dead?" Shikamaru interjected in the midst of everyone's laughter. This only caused the rest of the party to roar all the harder. The blue eyed shinobi stared over at Shikamaru for a moment, then scowled. The best thing about Shikamaru was that even though he may not talk very much, when he did, it was usually something that you really wanted to remember. The entire group could hardly stop laughing.

As Amaya wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, she saw someone pelting toward their table. The fur-trimmed hood of a jacket fell back from the head it covered, revealing the face of Inuzuka Kiba. He slid to a stop, just before he would have crashed into the table. Panting, he gasped, "Amaya-sama, please, come with me, quickly."

"What's the matter?" Both Amaya and Naruto said at once.

"It's Kabuto-kun. He's hurt. Please…" Kiba had gone on several missions with Kabuto since his re-integration into Konoha. Also, he was the closest thing Kabuto had to a best friend. She nodded, and followed him. They ran the entire way to the hospital, and she met Shizune in the hallway.

"Shizune-san! How is he?" Her voice became choked, and she had to fight the tears that threatened.

"His chakra is dangerously depleted, Amaya-san. There are numerous deep lacerations and stab-wounds over his torso, and he also has a head wound." Amaya's mind raced. Who could have done this? Shizune seemed to understand what she was feeling, and lay a hand on her arm. "I don't think he's in any danger, Amaya-san. Your husband will be just fine. But I'm going to ask Tsunade-sama if I can have a couple of ANBU to put outside his room."

Her hands balled up in to fists at her sides. "When I find out who did this, I swear, they're not going to live to see the inside of Konoha Prison." A hot lump of something dark and frightening had settled itself into her stomach. Also, a worm of recognition was beginning to rear its ugly head. She gasped. "Sasuke-chan!"

Kiba stood behind her, and as she fainted, he caught her. When she woke up, Akamaru was sitting on her chest. The small white dog licked her nose. Picking him up, she yelled, "Kiba! Where are you, you good-for-nothing dog-boy?"

Kiba poked his head out from behind the screen that separated the bed from the rest of the room I was in. "Now, that was uncalled for." Kiba's insolent smile was comforting. He never would change.

"Where's Sasuke-chan?" Amaya sat up, and her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Taking a deep breath, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

Kiba looked around the edge of the screen. He crooked a finger, and Sasuke came around. Amaya sighed relief. "Onehsan, what is it?"

"I did kill him, didn't I, Sasuke-chan?"

Sasuke looked at Kiba. "Are you sure she didn't hit her head?" Kiba nodded vigorously.

"Damn it, Sasuke-chan! Think about it. Why would anyone attack Kabuto? The only thing I can think of is that it's Hoshi…" Her eyes widened, and she gasped. "Kiba…go wake up Hokage-sama."

His eyes bulged, and Akamaru whined. "Why me? She'll punch me through a wall again. Send Shikamaru. She _likes him_."

From behind the curtain, Shikamaru's lazy voice drifted over. "You'd better shut up, Kiba."

"Bite me, Shikamaru." Kiba's tone was acid. Apparently, he had made Shikamaru's close relationship with the Hokage into a running joke.

"If the two of you don't shut up, _I'll _ punch _both_ of you through a wall…together. Kiba, take Shikamaru with you. Just _go_." The young chuunin's eyes grew wide. He moved back around the screen, and Amaya heard scuffling as he grabbed Shikamaru. The other young man protested in his lazy way, but went along with him. Not too long after they had left, they returned with the Hokage, and Kiba was nursing a lump on his head.

"Why did I have to get up in the middle of the night, Amaya-san?" Her eyes were bloodshot. Kiba mumbled something about sake. "Inuzuka, I thought I gave you your lesson for the evening. Did it not sink in?" Tsunade never took her eyes off of Amaya, but smiled when she knew her threat had its desired affect.

Amaya explained to her that Kabuto had been attacked.

"What does this have to do with me?" She was already testy, and like Kiba, Amaya didn't want to push her too far.

"There is a slight chance that it may involve Orochimaru." Her voice faltered, and she thought she might faint again. She began to sway. Tsunade forced her to lie down. She explained to her about the reports she had about rumors of Orochimaru sightings. It was most likely that he was dead, but the girl Hoshi had been devastated at his death and may be impersonating him.

"Is she strong?" Tsunade sounded worried.

Amaya nodded, though she was not quite sure how strong the girl may be.

Sasuke said from behind Tsunade, "I trained with her while I was with Orochimaru." His eyes seemed to cloud over as he remembered. "She's got a lot of potential. I'd say she's at least as strong as Orochimaru, maybe as strong as my brother." Tsunade looked as if she were going to be sick.

Crossing her arms under her considerable bosom, Tsunade said, "This could be a problem."

* * *

ANBU had been stationed not only at Kabuto's door, but at Sasuke's house as well, and Amaya stayed with him so that they would not be spread too thin. The ANBU had sent Sakura home, telling her that she would be safer there. Sasuke and and his adopted sister were flopped on the couch, fighting the sleep that they both needed. "Amaya onhesan?" he sounded half-asleep. 

"Huh, Sasuke-chan?"

"I really don't like this."

"Well, Sasuke-chan, neither do I." She reached over and poked his forehead. He sighed. Neither of them had the energy to argue, let alone fight. Not long afterward, both of them had fallen asleep, and they woke in the morning with stiff necks, stiff backs, and a headache each.

"Sasuke-chan, are you hungry?" He muttered that he was. "Ok. I'll make the breakfast if you make tea." Nodding groggily, he went to the cupboard and took out the kettle. Amaya was not quite so far removed, but she moved faster than he did. He really wasn't a morning person. Both of them shuffled around the kitchen, going through the motions of making eggs, toast and brewing tea.

After both of them ate, they took showers, which made her feel better, but Sasuke seemed even more tired. "Are you ok?"

"I don't know."

"Come here." He trudged over to her, and she felt his forehead. Amaya snorted. "No wonder. You've got a fever, baka. Go lie down on the couch. I'll put some medicine in a cup of tea." He grunted, and went into the living room. She took the kettle out again, and in a few minutes, the medicine was in in the tea, and she took it to him. His nose crinkled when he tasted it. He tried to give the cup back to her. "Don't make me get Sakura-chan over here. She won't be very happy if you're sick." He frowned, but drank the entire cup. He lay back down, and she covered him with a blanket.

"If you get up, you'll regret it."

"Onehsan, I already regret it. Now shut up so I can get some rest." He lay is head down and closed his eyes. _My, my. Aren't we testy._ She looked around. His house was very tidy, since Sakura practically lived there already, and was excellent at not only cleaning, but getting Sasuke to clean as well. Since there really wasn't much to do in the way of cleaning, she decided to see if the ANBU posted outside would like a cup of tea.

When she went outside, she did not see anyone. Making a quick circuit of the area around Sasuke's house, she found no ANBU. By this time, one of the three posted there last night should have come and told her she should go back inside. Something was wrong; she could smell it. She ran back inside, and into the living room. She swallowed hard. Sasuke was gone.

The blanket was balled up on the floor, and two of the cushions on the couch were slashed and singed. Her eyes bulged. In the corner were two bodies, both burned. They were two of the ANBU that had been posted there the night before. _Oh, shit._ After a brief moment of concern for Sasuke having gone insane, she saw it. The remnants of a jutsu that Kakashi had told her about, once used by Kabuto. It could temporarily resurrect a body, making it move and have a heartbeat. Certainly, Kabuto was not the only one who knew that jutsu? No. If he knew it, then Orochimaru did, as well. And if Orochimaru knew it, there was a chance that Hoshi had learned it, too.

The image of the tiny shinobi came forth in her mind. Short blonde hair, bright green eyes, dark skin, and a strange birthmark on the bridge of her nose, shaped like a six-pointed star. Amaya was not feeling very well. She felt as if she were going to vomit. She supposed it was to be expected. There was too much going on. How were they going to deal with Hoshi? If she was as strong as Itachi, then there was really only one person who _could_ deal with her. The problem was, if they were to find him, they would have to keep Sasuke from killing him long enough for him to kill Hoshi.

Beating back the urge to scream, she left the house, picking up an extra bag of shiruken on the way out. It wasn't really as if she needed them, but it didn't take any chakra to throw those, rather than using the _Kaze no Yiba_. Now, she ran through the streets of Konoha, looking for help. The first person she saw, she really didn't want to ask. Aburame Shino had always given her the creeps. However, he was an excellent shinobi, and always willing to help. "Shino-san!" She panted as she slid to a stop before him.

The newly-promoted jounin looked down at her, an inquisitive silence serving as greeting. "I need your help." Once she explained the situation, he nodded. Sending his insects in all directions, he told Amaya that they would search for Sasuke. "Thank you, Shino-san. I'm on my way to find the Hokage, but when I saw you…"

"Don't explain, just go." Another man of few words, Shino was usually right.

She ran on. For a few minutes, she saw no one in the street. Then, as if by some magic, Kakashi was running next to her. "Out for training away from the ANBU, Amaya-san?" His tone was playful. The man was hopeless. _How did he become so well respected if he can't see that I'm totally freaking out?_

"Kakashi, if you're not going to be of any help, go fuck yourself." The other jounin's right eye winked at her. If she had not been running, she would have sighed. "Why do you always have to be like that? Be serious for two seconds together." She shook her head.

He nodded. "What's the situation?"

"There are two twice-baked ANBU in Sasuke's living room. Where the other one is, I don't know. There were signs of struggle, and Sasuke wasn't there. I was only outside for four minutes, and I was nearby. How did I not hear the fight? There was evidence of Sasuke using _Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu, _and that makes an ass-load of noise." Kakashi's right eye narrowed. "Shino-san has his bugs scouring the village for Sasuke. I have a feeling that it's not going to do any good."

"One of your feelings, again?" He eyed her for a moment. The last time she had a 'feeling,' his one of his girlfriends had dumped him. Since then, he developed a habit of grilling her as to which girls would be good to ask out on dates. It really had become rather annoying.

She nodded, none the less. "Will you help?"

"Hai." He stopped running, and as Amaya looked back, he was performing his summoning jutsu, and then Pakkun was standing at his feet. He waved at her to keep going, and she did. Two trackers. Would it be enough? Finally, she got to the Hokage's office. Running past Shizune, she burst into the Godaime's office, and apologized.

"Gomen, Hokage-sama." She dropped to one knee, head down, one fist to the floor. Tsunade motioned for her to stand, and asked what she had barged in on her for. "You know how you said we might have a problem? Well, we've got one." After she explained what was going on, and the measures she had taken with what she could find on the way to see her, she nodded.

Tsunade took a deep breath. Amaya flinched as the other woman yelled, "Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru was now standing next to Amaya. How the Hokage had known he would be within earshot, she was not sure. He looked over and said, "Yo. What can I help with, Tsunade-sama?" The Hokage told him about what had happened. "Ok. I'll take care of it. I just need about six people. My pick." This was not the way people usually talked to Tsunade.

Tsunade walked around her desk. "Don't make me hit you, Shikamaru."

"Hai. What do I have to work with, Hokage-sama?"

"Aburame Shino, Hatake Kakashi, Pakkun, Hori Amaya, yourself, and one other chuunin." She was smiling. Shikamaru's lazy posture had not changed. It was like watching two very good players at poker. Neither one of them was breaking their bluff.

Finally, he sighed. "This is troublesome, Tsunade-sama. I guess I'll take Naruto with me."

"Did I hear my name?" The blonde-haired shinobi poked his head into the room. _Was he hanging around, or just passing by?_ It really didn't matter. Tsunade crooked a finger at him. He came into the room. When all had been explained, Tsunade gave them their official mission orders.

"Shikamaru, your current mission is to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke. Again. This time, you have three jounin. You'll share command with Kakashi. If possible, please get rid of this Hoshi, too. Get the hell out of my office, all of you." They all started to leave. Shikamaru, the slowest, looked back at the Hokage. He smiled. "You better not die, Shikamaru…" Tsunade said quietly. He nodded silently, and walked out of the door.

Naruto asked, "Are you ready, Shikamaru?"

"Are you kidding? Was I ready last time?" Naruto made a face, but nodded. The last time he had led the mission to retrieve Sasuke, it had _not_ gone well.

"Shika, suck it up, and let's go." Amaya prodded him. "If anything happens to Sasuke-chan, you'll have me and Sakura-chan to deal with." Naruto nodded, wisely. "Oi! Naruto, quit it. You're not fooling anyone. If you're coming with us, quit acting like you do around Hinata's father. We're going to need your full attention." He smiled broadly. The old Naruto was back…

"Then let's stop standing around. Let's go!" Naruto started walking. When he turned around and walked back to where the other two were still standing, he asked sheepishly, "It's the other way, isn't it?" They both nodded. _Naruto will never change_. This thought ran through both Shikamaru and Amaya's minds.

Outside, Kakashi and Shino had information for them. Pakkun had picked up on Sasuke's scent, and followed it. Shino's insects had confirmed his position. He was in the Forest of Death. Naruto's shoulders sagged. He had passed the Chuunin exam, but he really didn't like the forest. "Naruto, get over it. Sasuke-chan is in there." He nodded, and they jumped the fence.

* * *

**A/N:** Ack. The more I look at this fic, the less I like it. I'm working on the sequel, which I'm hoping will be a lot better. 


	9. From Akatsuki With Love

**A/N:** Well. Here's the last chapter, so I hope you like it. I have a sketched plot for the sequel, and I'm looking for beta readers. If anyone wants to volunteer, let me know by PM. Warnings for this chapter: blood. Itachi and blood.

**Legal Stuffiness:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters therein.

* * *

Kakashi sent Pakkun on ahead, having him stay on Sasuke's scent. Shino sent a minor portion of his bugs to scout the surrounding area for possible traps. Naruto tried to keep an upbeat attitude about the situation, without much success. Amaya had a kunai ready in each hand, in case she needed to use her chakra whip technique. Shikamaru had them all watching different areas, as they walked in single file. 

For a time, they followed Pakkun's footprints. Then, suddenly, they didn't need to. There was an enormous explosion ahead, and they all rushed forward. The cloud of dust and smoke about two hundred yards ahead began to clear, and three figures were seen.

The first was Sasuke. He was swaying, still in the grip of his fever. It looked as if he would fall over any time now. In fact, he was only upright because Hoshi, who was much taller now, gripped his hair, pulling his head back. She had a wakizashi pressed to his throat, and he was bound. It was now clear that she had posed as the third ANBU, as she was wearing an ANBU uniform. The two of them were facing the third figure. Hoshi's voice rang through the clearing. "Your shit jutsu won't work on me, bastard. I'll kill him."

The third figure, taller than both Sasuke and Hoshi, wore a long black coat, with red cloud-shapes scattered over it. From behind his high collar, red eyes flashed in the sunlight. Naruto whispered fearfully, "Itachi." _Sasuke's bother!_ Amaya could see the resemblance. This was the man Sasuke had been waiting to kill for most of his young life. He was responsible for the decimation of the entire Uchiha clan. Hoshi had a blade to Sasuke's throat, but did Itachi care enough to stop her?

Faster than anyone but Kakashi's Sharingan could see, Itachi had snatched the short sword from Hoshi. "No," began the older Uchiha, "if anyone is going to kill my brother, it will be me." His tone was that of a parent taking a toy away from a misbehaving child. Hoshi hissed. Throwing Sasuke to the ground, she launched herself at Itachi.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Naruto. "Do we see which one is the winner, and then kill them?"

"While that sounds ok to me, Naruto, I'm not sure that it would really work." Shikamaru shook his head.

"He's right, baka." Amaya said. "I think we'll have better luck reasoning with Itachi."

Kakashi's eyebrows shot up. "What do you base this opinion on?"

"The fact that I've spent time around Hoshi." The female jounin stared hard at the embroiled pair before them. "She's completely insane. Orochimaru found her in the Hidden Rock. He raised her. When I killed him, something inside her snapped. Besides, I've got a feeling." Turning to the copy-nin, she smiled sweetly. He shrugged. Amaya added, "I also have a reason to make sure Itachi doesn't actually kill her."

The rest of them looked askance at her.

"That's _my_ job." The rest of them nodded. This would be her payback for Hoshi's attack on Kabuto, and for taking her Sasuke-chan.

"I've got an idea!" Naruto said suddenly.

"Huh?" All of the rest, except Shino, asked at once.

"Well, they're fighting, right?" they all nodded. "Why not just grab Sasuke?"

Shikamaru nodded, thinking. He cocked his head. "So simple that only an idiot would think of it. Our mission _is_ to take care of Sasuke first, so why not?" Shikamaru squatted low to the ground. As was his habit when he was forming multiple strategies at once, he rested his elbows on his knees and made a circle with his hands. For a few moments, he breathed deeply, thinking.

Kakashi watched him intently. The son of Konoha's White Fang looked as if he were trying to see the young chuunin's thoughts.

Shino was watching the battle with interest, as was Naruto. Amaya kept her eyes focused on Sasuke's prone form.

"Kakashi!" Pakkun's voice piped up from behind the silver-haired jounin. Amaya and Kakashi turned. "Someone is coming. I think it's that girl, Sakura." Amaya's eyes widened. If Sakura was on her way, that meant that they had another ally against Hoshi, but she did not know what would happen when the girl saw her fiancé lying on the ground as he was.

Itachi had been dodging Hoshi's attacks, and not making a move of his own. It seemed as if he considered it beneath him to actually strike her. The former Rock nin was moving with lightening speed, but it did no good against the Uchiha Sharingan. There were now three large rips in Itachi's Akatsuki coat, and he pulled it off, throwing it at Hoshi.

"Amaya," Kakashi said from beside her, "please intercept Sakura. Inform her of the situation. Make sure she is calm. Then, bring her here."

"Hai."

Replacing her kunai in her pouch, Amaya ran through the Forest of Death. "Pakkun!" She called for the dog, and he appeared almost instantly. "Where is she, Pakkun?" _If you do as well as I've heard, I'll buy you a nice slab of roast pork, I swear._ The dog veered off to the left, and she followed. After ten minutes, they found Sakura.

"Amaya-san! Where is he? Where is Sasuke?" She was panicked, and Amaya couldn't blame her. When the situation was explained, Sakura's face became a thunderhead. Her voice, though calm, was very angry. "Who is this Hoshi?"

"A former Rock shinobi, raised by Orochimaru. She has some pretty nasty jutsu, and I think she has an advanced bloodline that allows her to produce genjutsu without performing hand seals." The pink haired kunoichi started, but almost instantly, the look of determined anger was once again set on her face.

"We have to kill her, Amaya."

"I know."

They arrived at the scene of the battle, and could not believe their eyes. Hoshi had Itachi by his throat, squeezing with both hands. She was slowly lifting him from the ground. The eldest surviving Uchiha looked as if he were letting her do this. What was he planning that he would allow himself to be put in such a position? The muscles in the girl's arms stood out. Itachi's eyes had been closed until now. They opened, and looked down at Hoshi. They were devoid of all emotion. He was toying with her.

It was only a matter of time before Itachi would get bored and end this little game. Amaya looked at Sakura. Both women nodded at one another. Sakura ran forward, pelting to the spot where Sasuke lay on the ground. Shikamaru's voice cut through the air, telling the two women to stop.

As Amaya made for Hoshi and Itachi, she yelled back, "Sorry, Shika. It's my job, like I said." By this time, Sakura had grabbed the still unconscious Sasuke.

She turned back to the group, and yelled, "Kakashi-sensei! Catch!" Sakura used her freakish strength and launched Sasuke through the air, and in a long, low arc, he flew at Kakashi. The copy-nin rushed forward to catch the unconscious young man. Shikamaru, always the fast thinker, as well as Shino and Naruto, got behind Kakashi to brace him. They were pushed back nearly ten feet as the human missile hit his former sensei full in the chest.

When he had regained his breath enough to speak, Kakashi said, "I'm going to have to speak to her about throwing her boyfriend at me. That was rude."

The two women reached Hoshi at the same time. Since she was in a blind rage, she did not see either of them until it was too late. Both Sakura and Amaya aimed kicks at the girl's ribs. The cracking of bone filled the clearing. Itachi landed on his feet as Hoshi let go of him. The former Rock shinobi staggered, coughing blood.

"Hoshi, what have you done?"

Wheezing, the girl stared up at Amaya. "Me?" she asked, frothy blood now beginning to drip down her chin. "I'm just trying to get payback for my Orochimaru-sama." Coughing, she staggered and spat blood. "You took away everything from me. You killed my Orochimaru-sama. I just wanted to take away your everything. But then that bastard got in my way." She pointed a shaking finger at Itachi. He shrugged. The girl fell to her knees. Her eyes began to glaze over. "Gomen nasai, Orochimaru-sama…"

"I've got it for now, she can't move." a voice next to Amaya said. It was Shikamaru, with his hands fixed in the _Kage Mane no Jutsu._ Sakura moved toward Hoshi. "No, Sakura. Amaya said it's her job. Let her do it." Amaya stared at Shikamaru. He gave her a half smile. "Tsunade-sama wants her taken care of. Far be it from me to go against the Hokage." Shikamaru nodded to Amaya. She formed the _Kaze no Yiba_, and knelt before Hoshi. The girl had been crazed with grief, which Amaya understood. Had Kabuto died, she would have felt the same way.

"Was he really your everything?"

"Hai."

"Gomen, Hoshi. You'll see him again soon."

"Arigato, Amaya-sama."

Standing once again, she raised the _Kaze no Yiba_. In a sweeping arc, the blade of wind severed Hoshi's life. Amaya stared down at the girl's body. It was sad that this had to happen. If she could have been saved, then she would have been a valuable shinobi. It was only one more sin that Orochimaru would be paying for, wherever he was. She turned to Itachi.

The eldest Uchiha regarded her with a quiet respect. "Can I ask you something, Itachi?" He did not answer her. This did not bother her, since she had not expected an answer. "How different are you from Orochimaru?" His eyes lost their red color. It was surprising how much like Sasuke's eyes they really were. He stepped toward her. When he was only a foot away, he cocked his head to one side.

Quietly, he said, "You compare me to him?"

"Hai."

"I am nothing like that coward."

"Aren't you? You killed your entire family, only to see what it was you were capable of. To see if you could. How different is that?" She looked into his eyes. They were, as before, emotionless. His feelings were well hidden, but she knew they were there. She only had to bring them out, as she had done with Sasuke.

"I did it not to see what _I_ was capable of, but to see what the clan was capable of. They were not capable of surviving. They did not deserve to live."

"How do you explain Sasuke, then? Why did you leave him alive?" She watched as a small muscle beneath his right eye twitched slightly. She needed to know the answers to these questions if she was to understand the Uchiha family, and how it was that she could help her new brother.

"He is the final test. He is the clan's last chance. If he can defeat me, then the Uchiha will continue. If he does not, the clan will die with him, as it should."

Sakura had come to stand next to Amaya. "What right do you have to make that kind of decision?" Her voice was full of anger. She seemed on point of striking him, and Amaya hoped that she did not try. The last thing they needed was the girl to be injured by this man. It would send Sasuke over the edge.

Itachi looked at her, his eyes blinking slowly. "You shouldn't talk about things you don't understand, little girl." His voice held no anger toward Sakura. He was simply explaining to her what he saw as the truth.

"Sakura, please." Amaya held up a hand to the other woman. Sakura remained silent. "Are you here to hurt Sasuke-chan?" Itachi shook his head. "Why are you here?" He said nothing. "Shikamaru. Is he awake yet?"

"No. What's going on?"

Amaya turned her back on Itachi. "If we've achieved our objectives for this mission, I think we're finished here." Naruto protested. He said that Itachi would eventually come and try to kill Sasuke. "Naruto, please be quiet. Shikamaru, Kakashi?" Both jounin and chuunin shrugged. Neither of them was a match for Itachi. It was always best to be honest not only about the abilities of one's opponent, but also about one's own abilities. The others turned to leave. Shino carried Sasuke over his shoulder. Sakura ran to catch up, but Amaya turned back to Itachi.

Bowing, she said, "Hajimemashite, Itachi-san. My name is Hori Amaya. I belong to the Uchiha Clan. For this time, you may call me onehsan." At this, Itachi's eyes widened slightly. She thought it best if he knew who it was he was dealing with, and that things begin on a somewhat friendly basis.

Amaya was surprised when he bowed formally. "Hajimemashite. I am Uchiha Itachi. I also belong to the Uchiha Clan." Straightening, he turned to walk away.

"Itachi-san." Amaya said before she could help herself. He looked back. "Sayonara, Itachi-san." He smiled a very small smile. This was a formidable man. As he walked away, she saw that she was looking at what Sasuke would have become if not for Sakura and herself, and Naruto. "Gomen, Itachi-san," she said softly. "I'm sorry that your life went down such a path."

* * *

Amaya and Sakura stood outside of the Godaime's office, listening intently to the tirade she was giving Shikamaru. "You mean to tell me that you let Itachi get away?" 

"Hokage-sama—"

"I don't want to hear it, Shikamaru. You should have at least made some attempt at capturing him. I can't believe that with your brains, you couldn't think of any way to do it."

"I didn't say that I hadn't thought of anything, Tsunade-sama."

"Then what was the problem?"

"Low probability of success, and high risk to the team. Besides," at this point, Shikamaru's voice changed. It was somehow playful. "Amaya-san had it under control. She's way too good at talking people down." For a moment, there was silence.

"You want me to hit you, don't you?"

"Not after last time. That hurt."

"Then behave yourself."

In that same playful voice, Shikamaru said, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Now, send those two idiot girls in here."

Sakura looked upset. Inwardly, Amaya was laughing. Kiba was right. It was obvious only to those who had seen the two of them together, but it was there. Tsunade should be ashamed of herself…Shikamaru opened the door, and poked his head out.

"Your turn, ladies. Give ground if she seems furious." He smiled at Amaya, and she stuck out her tongue at him.

Amaya's eyes flicked past Shikamaru's face to Tsunade, then back to his face, and she raised an eyebrow. The young man's face colored slightly, eyes widening. Then his normal expression of boredom returned. As he opened the door wider for the two of them to enter, he mouthed the words 'bite me' at Amaya. She laughed in spite of herself.

As she and Sakura entered the office, Tsunade stepped forward. "I don't think I need to tell you two that what you did was very irresponsible. You endangered your own lives as well as Sasuke's. So, I'm not telling you that. What I wanted you in here for was for one thing only. Sakura, will you please examine Amaya-san?"

The pink-haired kunoichi blinked and turned to the Hokage. "Tsunade-sama?"

"To confirm a suspicion of mine. Head to toe, please, Sakura."

Shaking her head, Sakura ignited chakra around her hands. Moving her hands slowly around Amaya's head, then her chest, she seemed almost bored. When her hands reached Amaya's torso, however, she gasped. Tsunade's face split in a wicked smile. "How long, Sakura?"

"About a month, Hokage-sama."

Amaya blinked. "Is anyone going to tell me what's going on? What the hell?"

Tsunade's grin became even wider. "Amaya, have you been feeling ill lately? Lightheaded, nauseated?" She nodded. "Then I'd like to congratulate you. If Sakura is any judge, there should be a little Amaya-chan in about eight months. You are hereby relieved of your duties until ten months from now. That is all, ladies." The Hokage's grin was almost malevolent. For a long moment, Amaya stood staring at her, and had a very sharp dislike for the woman. It faded very quickly, however, as her words began to sink in.

Standing there, stunned, Amaya put a hand to her stomach. _I'm…pregnant?_ Well, she supposed that it was about time. She was twenty-eight years old, after all, and she was married. Sakura beamed at her, obviously happy. The younger woman took Amaya's arm, and led her out of the office. Neither of them said anything on the way back to the Uchiha compound.

After seeing her home, Sakura went to Sasuke's house. Amaya walked into her own house, and removed her shoes. There was another person growing inside her…the thought was very alien. When she had put on her house slippers, she shuffled into the living room. Sitting on the couch, she wondered how Kabuto was going to react. Then Naruto's face appeared before her eyes, laughing until he couldn't breathe. It seemed as if it had been prophetic…

How was she going to remain idle for ten months? This did not sit well with her. She felt dizzy, but it wasn't her physical condition that was doing it…there was just too much going on. She needed to see Kabuto. But when she had gone to the hospital earlier that day, she had met Kiba in the hall, and he had told her that Kabuto hadn't woken up yet, and that they didn't expect him to for a couple more days. She felt the need to move, to do something. For a moment, she thought of cleaning, but then she realized that there would be plenty of time for that later, since she had been relieved of her duties.

That thought rankled her. _But, I guess there isn't much I can do about that right now, huh? _ Pacing around the room, she thought. What could she do? Was she ready to be a mother, to have someone call her okaasan? The thought just made her even dizzier. Right then, she wished that her mother were there. If her mother were there with her, she could ask for advice. Amaya was certainly not going to write to any of her sisters for advice. The two younger ones had no children just yet, and the older one…well, let's just say that she wasn't sure she quite wanted her advice.

_I'm relieved of duty…but does that rule out any training?_ Yes. She could train. She was like Sasuke at least in that. Training always helped her to focus. She ran to the master bedroom. After a few moments of rifling through drawers of clothing, she found her favorite training clothes. A long baggy pair of red shorts with lots of pockets for her kunai and shiruken, and a sleeveless black t-shirt that was skintight. Both allowed for movement without much hindrance, which was all she cared about. The fact that Kabuto said she looked sexy in it just boggled her mind, but she put that thought out of her mind.

Once she had put these things on, and stocked up on kunai and shiruken, she headed out the door and walked down the deserted street of the Uchiha compound to the training grounds near the shrine. It was a large open field, with only two trees, and an obstacle course toward the back. It was to this area which she was headed.

The obstacle course consisted of four areas: stamina training, marksmanship, automated taijutsu training area, and a series of walls and other tall objects to climb by use of chakra or physical strength. Usually, she would start with the chakra climbing. Today, she needed to blow off some steam. The marksmanship area called to her, but that wouldn't do just yet. Amaya walked over to the device that controlled the taijutsu training course. It was powered by a crank system. Like a wind-up toy a small child may play with, the harder you crank the handle, the faster the thing would move, and the harder you would have to work to keep up.

Amaya turned the crank handle again and again. The most times she had turned it before had been ten, but she was really agitated. She left it at seventeen turns. The switch to activate the mechanism was at the entrance for the course, so a spotter was not necessary. She sprinted toward the entrance, stepping on the switch as she ran. Two dummies shot out at her, aiming kicks and punches at her head and stomach respectively. She dodged them and knocked the stuffing out of the first one before decapitating the other with her foot. Ten feet further up the course, she had to somersault over a series of trip-wires and then dodged a kunai aimed at her legs as she landed by dropping to the ground and rolling at full speed.

When she stopped rolling from this maneuver, she noticed suddenly that the machinery was no longer turning. Lying on her stomach, Amaya listened intently. Was the pully stuck? Usually, if that happened, the rope system could be heard straining, and one of several kill-switches throughout the course could be pressed to relieve the pressure on the ropes. If that was not done, the entire framework of the course could snap. She knew the location of all eight switches, and she had not touched any of them. There was no straining noise from the ropes…Suddenly wary, she scrambled to her feet.

Reaching into her pocket, she drew a kunai from it, and drew out a length of eight feet of chakra string. Her heart beat fiercely in her chest as she stood motionless, her back to one of the huge beams that supported the rope system. Faintly, she could hear footfalls. The crunch of feet on gravel alerted her to the position of the intruder. _Who the hell is it? Why won't they say something? If it's Sasuke-chan or Sakura, I'll have to give them a huge piece of my mind. This is scaring the crap out of me. _ She was letting herself go way too much. The panic was out of control. She breathed deeply. Again. Again.

Her heart began to slow, and she swallowed, waiting for the person to make their presence known openly. Then, she saw…she blinked…no, it really was! She suddenly felt as if a lump of lead had been dropped into her stomach. _Oh, no. What they hell am I going to do? _ Her mind raced. Watching the intruder come closer, she was frozen to the spot. He saw her, there was no doubt. His eyes were locked on her.

Those eyes…those red eyes, with their odd spots of black around the pupils…

Swallowing audibly as Uchiha Itachi approached her, she was unable to look away from his eyes. They bored into her, unblinking. He was only five feet away from her now. She understood why Orochimaru had run from him. His very presence was oppressive. Amaya shuddered. He came to a halt, three feet away from her. _What does he want? _

"Do I frighten you?" His voice was a deeper version of Sasuke's.

"Truthfully, yes." She heard herself say this, and could not believe her ears. The first thing she learned in the ninja academy was never to show fear to the enemy. _Well, now that basic training is out the window, what am I supposed to do?_ Itachi smiled. It did not reach his eyes. "Why are you here, Itachi-san?" He was silent. "Are you here to kill me?"

He shook his head. "I'm merely here to deliver a message."

"From who?"

"Akatsuki." The sun glinted red in his eyes. She shivered.

"And this message?"

He said nothing. For a long moment, his eyes only burned into her, holding her to the spot. Then, she felt herself being compelled forward. _What!_ She took two jerking steps forward. Before she could react, he had taken her kunai, severing the chakra strand with his own chakra. He held it before his eyes, examining the edge. His movements had been so fast that she had not even felt his hand. Itachi's eyes left the kunai and fixed once more on hers. In another lightening movement, he used the kunai.

Pain seared through her as the point of the weapon penetrated her abdomen. She clutched Itachi's shirt, leaning on him as he twisted the blade. His eyes were still burning into hers, and she still could not look away. Gritting her teeth, she breathed raggedly, then asked, "What is your message, Itachi?" He raised an eyebrow, twisting the kunai back the other way. Taking a deep breath, and releasing it, she tried to take her mind off of the pain. She repeated her question. "Your message?"

Itachi pulled the kunai from her body. Dropping it on the ground, he said, "Arigato." She blinked in confusion. He smiled at her, and this time it reached his eyes, but it scared her even more than when it hadn't. "For killing Orochimaru. Arigato."

"Is stabbing each other how you say thank you in Akatsuki?" She laughed painfully. "You must not do each other favors very often then." Though not sure why, she found this joke to be hilarious. Blood had begun to run down her legs. "Is that all you have to say to me, Itachi-san?" She was beginning to sway. "Do you have a message for Sasuke-chan, too? What about for Sakura, or Kabuto? If you have messages for them, too, I'll have to kill you, or I'll die trying."

His mouth curled in a smirk. He clearly did not think she was capable. She probably wasn't, but that didn't matter just now. "No, onehsan. The message was for you only. The kunai, however, was from me. Don't get too attached to my brother. He will not survive to continue the Uchiha clan." His voice was so confident, so sure in his assertion…

Amaya's lips twitched into a smile. Her shoulders began to shake. In spite of the damage done to her abdominal muscles, and the pain it caused her, she began to laugh. She threw her head back and laughed, the pain of it coursing through her. When she was finished, she looked back to Itachi's face, which was blank. "Don't underestimate Sasuke-chan. He isn't the little boy you threw aside so easily. He has become very strong. He has a strength you will never have." She smiled a sad smile. "I feel sorry for you, Itachi."

The Akatsuki blinked. Confusion was apparent on his face. She smiled again. Her hands released their grip on his shirt. She put her arms around his neck, and hugged him. He was utterly stiff. This did not surprise her at all. Releasing him, she planted a small kiss on his cheek. "I'm going home now, Itachi. Will you be back?" He nodded. There was some kind of conflict in his eyes. She did not know what it was, but the emotion was there, just as she had known it was. "Ja ne, Itachi."

She turned and began to walk away. Her feet dragged in the dirt, and she left a dribbling trail of blood. Her vision was becoming hazy. How long she could hold out, she did not know. She just kept walking. Pain spread with each step, but she did not stop, and remained standing straight. _I am shinobi. Pain is only an inconvenience. I am shinobi. Pain is only a way to know I'm still alive. I am shinobi…_ Her thoughts became more and more jumbled, then ceased altogether. Finally, she collapsed at the entrance to the Uchiha compound, bleeding and unconscious.

* * *

She woke four days later. Tsunade was standing over her. She looked down at Amaya with sympathy. Her hands drifted to her abdomen. The Hokage shook her head. "Oh." She hadn't even gotten used to the fact that she had been pregnant, and now, she wasn't. And it was all because she had been so restless. 

Pulling up a chair, the Godaime sat. "So, what happened?"

Amaya fumed silently at herself for a moment. Why was she such an imbecile? "I had a visit from my other brother. He was not polite." Tsunade's brow furrowed. "I think," Amaya said with some thought, "that I am the only person to be officially thanked by Akatsuki for services rendered." A dull pain spread slightly through her stomach as she chuckled, and then winced. "Ahhhh. Can I just report to you later about this? I'm getting dizzy." The Hokage nodded, and made her lay still.

"You'll be getting a lot of visitors now that you're awake. Sakura has been having fits for the last few days." Tsunade smiled. She was very fond of her apprentice. The blond woman then left.

For nearly an hour, Amaya lay propped on her pillows, dizzily looking out of the window. She wondered what Kabuto would think of the situation. They had nearly been parents. She and Kabuto. It was so strange. Thinking back, she could pinpoint the exact moment that she had fallen for him. Occasionally, she was mystified by the fact that she had fallen for him at all. He had, after all, killed her mother and father. It was definitely very strange the way that life turned out for her. Her dizzy musings were interrupted by the sliding of the door.

She turned her head, and her eyes widened. "Uncle Baki? What?" She had not seen her mother's brother for nearly ten years. What was he doing here? Of course, he may be here on a professional level. Konoha was now allied to the Sand. The half-veiled block of a man smiled, skewing his red face-paint.

"I've been hearing some very interesting stories about you, Ama," His dark eyes reminded her of her mother. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" She nodded. The last time she had seen him, he had been helping to train the present Kazekage, Gaara. He was yet another fearsome young man. Baki sat in the chair Tsunade had vacated. "They tell me that you have mastered the _Kaze no Yiba_. Is that true?" She nodded, wondering where this was going. Her uncle smiled again. It always looked very disjointed on him. "That's good. I'm glad that you've put it to some use."

He excused himself, saying that he had asked the others to wait and that he didn't want to take up any more of her time. She had always been a little afraid of him as a child, but now, he was just her uncle. Amaya shrugged at her own thoughts. There was a scuffling noise, and she looked at the door and smiled. Naruto and Sasuke were trying to get into the door at the same time, and they were stuck. She couldn't help herself. Throwing her head back, she laughed. The two of them were just far too funny sometimes. Jiraya, who was standing behind them, gave them a hard shove.

The two young men spilled into the room, nearly falling on top of one another. Hinata and Sakura followed them, and Jiraya came after, then Shikamaru, being pushed ahead of Kiba, and Kakashi, toting a conspicuous orange paperback. Amaya sighed. The Godaime wasn't kidding. Naruto and Sasuke were still staring daggers at one another, and looked as if they were about to unleash the Rasengan and Chiori on each other. Sakura elbowed Sasuke, and Hinata tapped Naruto on the shoulder, with a quiet, "Anou…Naruto?"

Kakashi was the first to actually approach her. "Yo. How are you doing?"

Amaya snorted. "Not as bad as I was. That fucking hurt." Her eyes flashed warning of any further questions at the moment. The Copy-nin winked at her.

"You bored?" Kakashi asked. She nodded. "Want to borrow some reading material?" He indicated the copy of Icha Icha Paridise, volume three that he had in his hand.

"I'll pass. They seem to have warped your brain. Don't want that to happen to me, too. Besides, I've got a pretty good imagination. Not like I need tips." This half-hearted and playfully indirect insult caused him to grin sheepishly behind his mask. Sakura peeped over her former sensei's shoulder.

"Ugh. Are you still reading that crap, Kakashi-sensei?" The distaste for his reading material was apparent on her face. Kakashi nodded proudly. "You'll never change." Her face had taken on the same kind of look that she had when she watched Naruto's antics. It was a look of slightly annoyed amusement.

Amaya noticed that Sasuke had Naruto in a silent head-lock, Hinata looking on with a very distressed expression on her face. "Sasuke-chan, please let the baka go. You're both being asses." When he had released the blond-haired young man, she sighed. "Now, unless you both want me to get up out of this bed and kick you through the wall, you'll cut it out." Naruto's eyes bulged, and Sasuke colored slightly. She could not help but laugh at them.

Shikamaru and Kiba came forward, and Akamaru jumped up onto the bed, careful not to jar Amaya too much. Kiba thrust a small box at her. "My mom made it." She opened it, and there was a small cake inside. Akamaru sniffed it, licking his lips. She shook an admonishing finger at the dog. "No, Akamaru," Kiba said. "You'll get your lunch in a bit."

Shikamaru leaned toward her. "Get better, baka. Then you can tell me what happened. I'm curious to see who got the better of you." He said this behind his hand, but his face said that he already knew. He really was frighteningly smart.

Suddenly, Jiraya piped up, towering over the rest. "I think we should all leave Amaya alone for now. She looks tired." He shooed everyone out, except for one person, who had been hiding behind the rest. Kabuto stood, leaning against the wall near the door. He slid the door closed.

He was bandaged, and moved slowly. She wondered idly how long he had been awake. "I guess we've both had a bad couple of weeks, haven't we?" He walked slowly over to the bed. He sat down and took her in his arms. "Tsunade-sama told me everything. I'm sorry." Tears came without warning, and she buried her face in his chest. After a very long time, she lay her head on his shoulder, staring out of the window.

"Kabuto?"

"Yes?"

"Aishiteru wa, Kabuto."

"Aishiteru yo, Amaya."

* * *

Now out of the hospital, she was just finished giving her full report to the Hokage. Tsunade told her not to blame herself, but it hadn't really helped. Amaya wandered through the streets of Konoha, feeling lost. Eventually, her wandering brought her back to the Uchiha compound. Her feet seemed to be guiding themselves. She went all the way back to the taijutsu training course. Absentmindedly, she stroked the crank-handle. 

"How about something that doesn't require machinery?" A voice behind her asked. She turned, finding Kakashi. He was leaning against one of the trees. "You look like you need to blow off some steam." She smiled. She had certainly found a kindred spirit in him. Like Kabuto and Sasuke, he seemed to understand how training cleared the head.

"Hai."

They drew kunais and rushed at one another. The clash of metal rang out time and time again as they blocked each other's attacks. Amaya's thoughts began to focus, and soon, she was feeling much better. Stopping, she put her kunai away. "Arigato, Kakashi. I needed that." There was a small cut on her right hand, where he had knicked her. She smiled slightly. She could have sworn that she'd cut him too…Then she saw it. There was a rip in Kakashi's mask, across the bridge of his nose.

Amaya's smile widened. "Want to have something to drink?" He nodded. They went to her house, and had tea. "So what are you really here for, Kakashi?"

His head cocked to the side slightly. It really was too bad that most of his face was covered. It was so hard to tell what he was thinking! Resting his chin on his hand, he said, "I have been sent here by the Hokage to ask you to be on the team that is going to do surveillance on Akatsuki."

She closed her eyes, leaning back on her hands. "It will probably end up being a suicide mission. Who else is going?"

"So far, the team consists of me, you, Sasuke, and Shizune. Any more, and we'll be very conspicuous."

"Is it wise to allow Sasuke-chan on the mission? If we're only supposed to be watching them, how are we going to control him if he sees Itachi?" She could feel a headache developing, and it felt like someone was driving an ice pick between her eyes. Kakashi shrugged. "Or, is that what I'm there for?"

"Bingo." Kakashi winked again.

"This is going to suck."

"Yep, I'm sure it will." Neither of them wanted to think about what would happen when Sasuke eventually had to square off with his brother. She had confidence in him, but there was no way that he was going to come away from such a battle unscathed.

She sighed. "So, when do we leave?"

End…A Cloud for Konoha.

* * *

Tentative…continuing story of Amaya's mission to find Akatsuki, as well as other really fun stuff! _**must...find...beta reader...**_


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